The Boston Celtics, coming off their fifth trip to the conference finals in the last seven seasons, entered Thursday night’s NBA draft having already started the process of retooling for another attempt at the franchise’s 18th title.
They stayed on that path by amassing lots of future draft picks on a mostly quiet night elsewhere around the East’s Atlantic Division.
Toronto had the highest selection of the night at No. 13, taking sharpshooter Gradey Dick out of Kansas.
The Celtics made one of the league’s biggest predraft moves when they traded franchise mainstay Marcus Smart to Memphis in a deal that got them big man Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards. The three-team deal included Boston receiving the 25th overall draft pick from the Memphis Grizzlies.
But Boston traded it for Detroit’s second-round pick and two future second-round selections. The Celtics then traded down again, picking up the No. 34 and No. 39 picks in a deal with the Charlotte Hornets. Boston selected Colby Jones at No. 34 and shipped him to the Kings for No. 38 and another future second-rounder. Boston took Jordan Walsh with the 38th pick, and 6-11 Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye at No. 39. But Gueye was sent to the Atlanta Hawks for a future second-round pick.
The cache of picks could prove to be invaluable to Boston in free agency.
The Nets continued their latest restructuring by snagging a pair of forwards, selecting Noah Clowney out of Alabama and Duke’s Dariq Whitehead with picks No. 21 and 22.
The Knicks and the 76ers did not have any selections Thursday night.
Here is a look at who teams in the Atlantic Division drafted:
BOSTON CELTICS
— Team needs: With the addition of Porzingis, which included the departure of Danilo Gallinari, the Celtics entered the night in need of some shooting and defensive depth at power forward.
— Who did the Celtics draft: After all that moving up and down, Boston eventually selected 6-7 forward Jordan Walsh out of Arkansas at No. 38.
— Player comparison: Walsh has been compared to Boris Diaw, with an ability to play both forward positions. His shooting was spotty at times, but his defensive potential is there.
BROOKLYN NETS
— Team needs: The Nets could use scorers who can create their own shot as well as additional size. Outside of Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Johnson, the rest of the roster needs to be set up for baskets. Up front, despite having Nic Claxton (16th in the league with a 9.2 rebounds per game average), Brooklyn ranked 29th with 40.5 per game.
