Stanford center Maxime Raynaud will likely be one of the first players off the board in Round 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft. Which team will take a chance on Raynaud? Here are three potential landing spots.
Boston Celtics
After selecting Hugo Gonzalez last night, the Celtics enter Round 2 with the 32nd pick. Among the best available, IMO, in no particular order:
Noah Penda
Maxime Raynaud
Rasheer Fleming
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Adou Thiero
Kam Jones pic.twitter.com/s3HCfFL3J5— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) June 26, 2025
Two years ago, the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship.
Thanks to the second apron rules, a Jayson Tatum Achilles injury, and a second-round exit, the Celtics are retooling their entire roster.
Brad Stevens began the roster overhaul earlier this week by trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and two second-round draft picks.
Stevens followed that up by trading Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade. The Celtics received Georges Niang and a second-round pick.
Boston must get cheaper and younger at certain positions, especially in the frontcourt.
Al Horford and Luke Kornet are set to be free agents. The Celtics will likely try to bring one back, if not both.
Drafting the seven-foot Raynaud could be perfect for the Celtics off the bench. While Raynaud’s defense is suspect, he possesses the offensive versatility needed to thrive in today’s NBA.
Plus, his ability to shoot the 3-pointer (34.7% in 2024) can help alleviate Porziņģis’ absence.
Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers have their eye on Maxime Raynaud 👀
pic.twitter.com/lKjJSgRruf— NBALakersReport (@NBALakersReport) June 26, 2025
No team needs to focus on getting centers more than the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers desperately need to find multiple options at center to play alongside Luka Dončić and LeBron James. The Lakers tried Jaxson Hayes, but JJ Redick eventually phased him out of the lineup in the postseason against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While defense is not Raynaud’s specialty, he can score and rebound. The 22-year-old averaged 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds with Stanford last season.
The Lakers would need to move up to get Raynaud, but it’s worth it for a position of desperate need.
Philadelphia 76ers
Maxime Raynaud #Stanford
Hit The Music. pic.twitter.com/75gjPfZdHG
— Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) May 28, 2025
2024 was an absolute disaster for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The organization entered the 2024 season with high expectations due to the signing of Paul George. However, the injury bug caused George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid to miss significant time.
Had the 76ers not tanked and gained the 3rd pick, the 2024 season would have been upgraded to a failure.
Everything about the 76ers’ success hinges on the health of Embiid.
If the former MVP can’t stay healthy, Philadelphia will never compete for a championship.
Andre Drummond is slated to be Embiid’s backup heading into the 2025-2026 season. Drummond cannot play a full season with his health issues.
Taking Raynaud provides the 76ers with insurance and depth, two things they desperately need in the frontcourt.
Round 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 26, on ESPN.
