Everything the Celtics did at the 2025 NBA Draft, and what could be next
After starting the week by trading away two key members of their 2024 championship team, the Boston Celtics ended up drafting three players and making a trade over the two-day NBA Draft.
Brad Stevens added an extremely young wing at the end of the first round in 19-year-old Hugo Gonzalez, and after trading down early in Round 2, he added two more players Thursday night. None of the players are expected to make an immediate impact in Boston, but the Celtics are going to need some young and cost-controlled players as Stevens tries to keep the team out of the second apron and away from all the restrictions it would bring.
Here's a look at what Stevens and the Celtics did at the 2025 NBA Draft.
Celtics draft Hugo Gonzalez in first round
The Celtics had to wait until the end of the first round to make their first pick, and Stevens took 19-year-old wing Hugo Gonzalez out of Spain at 28th overall. Gonzalez didn't do much as a role player on Real Madrid last season and has an extremely raw offensive game, but he's been playing in Real Madrid's system since he was 10 years old and has a ton of upside.
Pundits (and the Celtics) love what Gonzalez brings on the defensive end in addition to his high motor all over the floor. He has good size at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, and though he's still a teenager, Stevens said Gonzalez is a bit of an "old soul" given all his experience with Real Madrid.
"When you talk about years overall, yes, he's young. But years of basketball experience, the things that we think are important, it's probably pretty high," said Stevens.
Celtics trade back, draft Amari Williams in second round
The Celtics had the second pick of the second round -- 32nd overall -- to start Thursday night, but made a trade with the Orlando Magic to move back and pick up three additional second-round picks. Boston reportedly wanted to take St. Joe's power forward Rasheer Fleming, but the Phoenix Suns traded up to take him at No. 31.
Once that happened, Stevens traded back and got the 46th and 57th pick from the Orlando Magic, plus second-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Not a bad haul for the No. 32 pick, which Orlando used to take forward Noah Penda out of France.
With the 46th selection, Boston drafted Amari Williams, an athletic 7-foot center from Kentucky. He doesn't have much of an offensive game but averaged 10.9 points per contest for the Wildcats last season. He's solid everywhere else, as he led Kentucky with 8.5 rebounds per game and his 115 assists tied for the team lead.
A Nottingham, England native, Williams played his first four collegiate seasons at Drexel, where he was the CAA Defensive Player of the Year three times and a two-time member of the All-CAA First-Team.
Celtics draft Max Shulga late in second round
Boston took VCU guard Max Shulga of Kyiv, Ukraine at No. 57. The 6-foot-4 Shulga is an excellent shooter, as he connected on 40.2 percent of his threes over his two seasons for the Rams. He averaged a team-high 14.0 points and 4.0 assists to earn A10 Player of the Year honors and help VCU get to the NCAA Tournament. He can score in bunches, recording seven games of at least 20 points last season.
Shulga played his first three college seasons at Utah State, where he was teammates with current Celtics big man Neemias Queta. Over his five-year college career, Shulga averaged 10.1 points while shooting 44 percent overall and 39.2 percent from three. He started 109 of his 162 games, including all 72 contests for VCU.
Shulga is expected to join Boston on a two-way contract, according to ESPN.
What's next for the Boston Celtics?
The Celtics were able to get under the apron by trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. While the Jaylen Brown and Derrick White trade rumors around draft time proved to be just a lot of hot air, more moves are likely on the way for Stevens and the C's.
The Celtics still need to clear some room if they want to re-sign Al Horford, Luke Kornet, or both this offseason. Sharpshooter Sam Hauser could become the next casualty of the NBA's apron system.
Talented scorer Anfernee Simons, who was acquired from the Blazers in the Holiday trade, could also be on the move again soon with just one year left on his contract. And don't be surprised if teams keep calling -- and making wild offers -- for Brown once NBA free agency tips off next week.
It looks like Stevens wants to keep the Celtics as competitive as he can while Jayson Tatum recovers from his Achilles injury next season, while also staying out of the second apron. He was a busy man this week, but still has more work to do this summer.
