Will Kawhi penalties help Celtics maximize the Clippers’ 2028 pick?

Will Kawhi penalties help Celtics maximize the Clippers’ 2028 pick? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The NBA dropped a hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday for salary cap circumvention related to the signing of Kawhi Leonard, which included taking away five future first-round draft picks from the team starting in 2029.

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The Boston Celtics have a vested interest in the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick as part of the draft compensation received during the Jaylen Brown trade to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.

The Boston/Los Angeles/Philadelphia 2028 pick delivery is convoluted but the volatility introduced from the Leonard penalties could potentially aid Boston in creating a 2028 lottery pick.

More importantly, the uncertainty surrounding Los Angeles’ future could enhance the value of that 2028 pick as a trade asset for a Celtics team that doesn’t need to wait around to see exactly where the pick lands before utilizing it to shape the team’s future roster.

If the Clippers’ 2028 pick lands in the lottery (picks 1-16), the Celtics will be able to swap their own draft position with the Clippers. The Spurs already hold the right to swap their pick with Boston, pursuant to the Derrick White trade, but Boston would swap whatever pick it has after that San Antonio swap and deliver that pick to the Clippers. There’s the possibility that, if Philadelphia landed in the early lottery (picks 1-8), the Celtics could instead swap for that pick, but a healthy 76ers team projects as one of the league’s elite.

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It’s far more likely that Boston’s 2028 draft is tied to the Clippers.

If the Clippers’ pick lands outside the lottery (picks 17-30), Boston would instead receive Los Angeles’ pick outright and could potentially hold two non-lottery first-round picks, still potentially swapping Boston’s own draft spot with a San Antonio team that represented the West in the Finals last season and also projects to remain one of the league’s elite for the foreseeable future.

Why do the Clippers’ penalties matter?

The forfeiture of first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 make it incredibly…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kawhi-penalties-help-celtics-maximize-095149043.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-03 09:51:00

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