BOSTON — The Celtics began the process of retooling their roster on Thursday night, selecting two players in the first round of the NBA Draft.
With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford both on the verge of leaving the team via free agency, the Celtics picked Indiana shooting guard Romeo Langford at No. 14 and Tennessee forward Grant Williams at No. 22.
The Celtics began the night with the Nos. 14, 20 and 22 picks, but they traded away the middle choice and also dealt center [...]
BOSTON — The Celtics began the process of retooling their roster on Thursday night, selecting two players in the first round of the NBA Draft.
With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford both on the verge of leaving the team via free agency, the Celtics picked Indiana shooting guard Romeo Langford at No. 14 and Tennessee forward Grant Williams at No. 22.
The Celtics began the night with the Nos. 14, 20 and 22 picks, but they traded away the middle choice and also dealt center Aron Baynes to clear up salary-cap space.
First, the Celtics swapped the 20th choice, sending it to the Philadelphia 76ers for both the No. 24th selection and the No. 33 pick in the second round.
Then, the Celtics sent that No. 24 pick and Baynes to the Phoenix Suns for the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2020 first-round pick.
“We’ve thought really highly of Romeo and Grant all the way through,’’ said coach Brad Stevens. “Those are two guys we were very focused on.’’
Langford was chosen with the No. 14 pick (the last one in the lottery) that was acquired from the Sacramento Kings via the 76ers as part of the 2017 trade when the Celtics and Sixers swapped draft picks at the top of the lottery.
Langford, who turns 20 in October, averaged 16.5 points while starting 32 games in his freshman season with the Hoosiers.
The 6-foot-6 guard played with a ligament injury in his right thumb that eventually required surgery. He shot only 27% from 3-point range and 45% overall. Getting to the basket is one of his strong points.
One of the leading recruits in the nation coming out of New Albany High School in Indiana, Langford averaged 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists for a team that went 19-16 and missed the NCAA Tournament.
“I think Romeo’s a really versatile, good player,’’ said Stevens. “He’s been a good player for a long time. He’s a guy that as far as Indiana high school basketball goes was probably as followed as anybody in the last 15 years.
“He had a really good start to his college career, then tore some ligaments in his thumb. The thumb was a factor. He can do a lot of things on the basketball court. He’s a guy who has a lot of things we think can translate to the NBA.
There were no workouts done by Langford for teams prior to the draft because of the injury.
With the No. 22 pick, the Celtics went with Williams, a 6-7 forward who was the SEC player of the year as a sophomore and a junior.
A native of Texas, the 20-year-old Williams averaged 15.7 points in 104 games for the Vols and was an All-American selection in the 2018-19 season when Tennessee was one of the better teams in the nation.
He averaged a career-best 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds last season, shooting 56% from the field and 33% from 3-point range. Williams' long-distance shooting will need work, making just 30 in limited attempts in college.
“Super smart,’’ said Stevens. “He’s a guy I kind of look at as having a point guard’s mind. You can run offense through him. He thinks the game. He’s a tough, tough guy. He’s a versatile player who can shoot the ball.’’
The Celtics originally used the No. 20 pick to take Matisse Thybulle of Washington, a top-notch defender, but a deal with the Sixers had been worked out before that selection was made.
The Celtics also had a pair of picks in the second round of the draft.
Trading Baynes, who recently opted into the second year of his contract for the 2019-20 season, was a financial move by the Celtics as they try to clear out space to sign more players.
“I think you guys all know how I feel,’’ said Stevens when asked about Baynes. “I think I’ll answer that when it’s appropriate to.’’
In the second round, the Celtics got Carsen Edwards (selected by Philadelphia then traded to Boston) at No. 33. He's a 6-0 point guard from Purdue who averaged 24.3 points per game last season.