The Boston Celtics have won more playoff games (58) than any other NBA franchise since the start of the new decade. As such, they’ve made very few mistakes in their pursuit of winning championships.
That said, the Celtics front office made a considerable blunder at the 2020 NBA Draft, claims ESPN’s Zach Kram, when they traded the draft rights to Desmond Bane. The Celtics drafted Bane with the No. 30 overall pick and traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for two future second-round picks.
“This was a reasonable move at the time: The Celtics didn’t have room on their roster for another young player, and trading Bane’s draft rights allowed them to shed Enes Freedom’s salary,” wrote Kram. “Nobody expected the No. 30 pick to develop into the sort of player who’d one day command four first-round picks in a trade.
“But Bane did, and Boston certainly could have used him over the past half-decade. A solid defender for his position and career 41% 3-point shooter, Bane would have been a perfect fit in the Celtics’ system.”
Bane Turned into a Draft Steal
To Kram’s point, few scouts and analysts expected Bane to turn into a bona fide 3-and-D star in the NBA. Bane made the All-Rookie Second Team and was elevated into the role of the Grizzlies’ starting shooting guard within his second season. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 43% from three. In his five seasons in Memphis, he averaged 17.8 points while making 41% of his threes.
Bane was traded to the Orlando Magic this year for a whopping four first-round picks, the sort of haul usually only warranted by star players. The haul was an indictment of Bane’s ability to produce at an elite level, especially as a sharpshooter.
“I’m super excited to be here,” Bane said. “All the guys, they’ve reached out and hit me up. The front office, the support staff – everybody has been real, real supportive. You can tell there’s an excitement in the air as well as expectations. Expectations are healthy. I feel like we have the roster to be able to do some really special things.”
Celtics Preparing for a Gap Year?
A player like Bane would have helped the Celtics in the 2025-26 season.
With Jayson Tatum expected to be sidelined with an Achilles tear, Boston is widely expected to undergo a gap year before retooling for another title run in 2026-27. The financial constraints imposed by the NBA’s new CBA forced the Celtics to trade Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, in addition to letting Luke Kornet walk.
While all the moves hint at the Celtics tanking the 2025-26 season, front-office head Brad Stevens made it clear that the team was still in pursuit of excellence.
“My expectations are always the same — compete like hell to win the next game,” he said of his team’s mindset heading into the 2025-26 season, via ESPN. “[Rebuilding] is not going to be part of the lexicon in our building, and that’s the way we’re going to focus moving forward.”
Celtics ‘Biggest Mistake’ of the Decade Still Hurts Franchise