Celtics NBA Draft notebook: Why Brad Stevens dealt the 2021 draft pick, Yam Madar intrigue and draft anniversary

Boston Celtics 2019 basketball draft players show off their jerseys at a news conference, Monday, June 24, 2019, in Boston.

16 overall pick in this year’s draft, but shipped it away to the Thunder so the C’s could get financial flexibility with Kemba Walker’s contract off the books.

It’s a strange spot for Boston, which had been stacking up assets in the past several years — especially in the draft.

And that should bode well for the future: The Celtics didn’t have to dip into any future draft assets to deal Walker’s contract.

The NBA Draft order was finally unveiled Tuesday with the lottery balls bouncing toward the Pistons, who own the No.

It’s just extremely lean compared to past years, when the pick swaps and trades were plentiful as Boston picked up plenty of intriguing pieces.

But the Celtics are at the point where they already have a few mid-first round picks from the past few years, who they’re hoping will take the next step.

The Celtics also received a hopeful project in Moses Brown in the Thunder trade, almost taking the place of the first overall pick.

The Celtics don’t have a first-round pick after Tuesday’s draft lottery, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be completely quiet during the draft.

It’s still difficult to gauge how many assets Stevens is willing to give up if the Celtics do make some type of draft-day trades.

The Celtics have a hole at point guard after their Kemba Walker trade, leaving Marcus Smart as the only realistic option there.

Madar, the draft-and-stash guard, holds some intrigue while playing in the Israel Premier League, where he became the youngest ever to win the league’s Most Improved Player award.

The 6-foot-3 point guard could be a cheap option as a backup while also upping the youth and interest.

1 to 3 so he could draft Tatum, get more draft capital and miss the Markelle Fultz pick, who hasn’t quite panned out in the NBA.

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