Boston Turned Two Second-Round Rights Into a Future First
In the 2016 NBA Draft, Boston selected Deyonta Davis at No. 31 and Rade Zagorac at No. 35, then sent both sets of draft rights to Memphis. The Celtics received a protected future first-round selection, seeking a potentially more valuable future pick rather than retaining both young prospects. Memphis wanted Davis badly enough to trade the protected first and could also explore Zagorac as an international option. The exchange was a wager on the relative value of timing and pick position, with Boston choosing to consolidate two second-round opportunities into one later, higher-round asset.
Memphis Actually Signed Davis and Used Him
Memphis signed Davis in July 2016, giving him regular-season playing opportunities over the following two seasons. His role was primarily developmental: he provided size and occasional shot blocking but never established himself as a dependable starting center. Zagorac's overseas experience offered another possible route to future talent, though it did not translate into a stable Grizzlies NBA career. The receiving-team result wasn't zero, because Davis did play in Memphis. But two second-round acquisitions failed to become the kind of core depth that would erase the value of giving up a future first-round choice.
The Protected First Eventually Landed at No. 20
The future first conveyed as the No. 20 selection in the 2019 draft. That was the pick used on Matisse Thybulle, but he shouldn't be listed as a Celtics rotation player from this transaction. Boston dealt his rights to Philadelphia in a separate draft-night exchange, taking a different group of picks back. The distinction is essential: this 2016 trade gave the Celtics a first-round asset they could spend, not Thybulle's subsequent defensive production for the Sixers. The ability to move that right again is the concrete outcome of Boston's multi-year asset strategy.
A First-Round Asset Outweighed Two Incomplete Development Bets
Boston's side is best evaluated by the future pick's draft position and trade utility. It turned two selections early in the second round into a pick in the top twenty in 2019, a meaningful upgrade in flexibility. Memphis, meanwhile, received a young center that actually appeared but didn't achieve a lasting frontcourt breakthrough, plus rights to a prospect whose NBA future remained uncertain. This is not a judgment that second-round picks are always less useful; Davis had genuine opportunities. The outcome nevertheless supports Boston's stronger grade on the value of the eventual asset.
Final Verdict
Celtics Win. Boston earns B+ for converting the rights to Deyonta Davis and Rade Zagorac into a future first that landed at No. 20 in 2019 and became useful draft-night trade capital. Memphis receives C- for Davis's limited NBA tenure and Zagorac's undeveloped rights. Thybulle's later NBA production came in Philadelphia, so it cannot be counted as a direct Celtics playing return.