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A few days after the New York Knicks eliminated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, addressed the media.
Stevens touched on a multitude of topics, one of which happened to be his meeting with Duke phenom Copper Flagg, the likely No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The news of the Celtics meeting with Flagg broke a few days ago, and Stevens touched on the topic on Monday.
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Zach Cox of the Boston Herald shared what Stevens had to say about his meeting with the star forward.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
“The people we know we can’t get in to work out are the people we talk to at the combine, or else we might never talk to them,” said Stevens.
“I would guess that (Boston trading up for a very high pick) probably is not on the table.”
Brad Stevens on the Celtics meeting with Cooper Flagg at the NBA draft combine: “The people we know we can’t get in to work out are the people we talk to at the combine, or else we might never talk to them.”
“I would guess that (Boston trading up for a very high pick) probably…
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) May 19, 2025
Flagg will likely be the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA draft, which does not belong to the Dallas Mavericks. After they traded away their superstar player, Luka Doncic, the Mavericks will now have a fresh start with a new, young, budding superstar.
Rumors have begun circulating about the possibility of the Celtics making a major splash to acquire Flagg, a lifelong fan of the team. However, Stevens downplayed any significant moves ahead of the draft, noting that the team isn’t anticipating any dramatic changes at this stage.
Brad Stevens says there probably won’t be “fireworks” for the Celtics in terms of draft night activity.
He also implied them moving up high in the draft is unlikely. pic.twitter.com/oFm3chc4A4
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 19, 2025
Boston has two picks in this year’s draft, the No. 28 and No. 32 picks. The likelihood of that player being a contributor right out of the gate is low. However, it doesn’t mean they can’t use them in a trade if Stevens and his staff want to shake up the roster.
If Boston decided to swing big, they could bundle those two picks with a player—whoever that may be—as part of a trade. It’s still too early to know which path the franchise will ultimately take, but under Stevens’ leadership, the team has been on solid footing.
Since stepping into the front office during the 2021 offseason, the former head coach has found success in his new role, playing a key part in constructing the roster that delivered a championship last season.
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