Fresh off a 2022 NBA Finals appearance, the Boston Celtics get right back into the swing of things Thursday. The 2022 NBA Draft takes center stage Thursday night, giving teams an opportunity to reshape their future or simply add a key piece to the roster.

The Celtics have always been a team well-armed with draft capital. This year, however, is much different as Boston enters the night without a first-round pick.

The Boston Celtics lost their first-round pick in the Derrick White deal

Remember when former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge used to stockpile draft picks? He set the Celtics up for success when he traded Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets, netting a plethora of first-rounders for the next several seasons.

He snagged another when he swapped the first overall pick in 2017 to the Philadelphia 76ers for the third pick. The 76ers grabbed guard Markelle Fultz. The Celtics walked away with Jayson Tatum and a future first-round pick.

Trader Danny is gone and so are those picks. After Ainge resigned prior to this offseason, Brad Stevens took over and made a couple of under-the-radar moves. They weren’t sexy transactions, but they were effective in helping Boston reach the championship round.

Stevens traded away seven players and brought two back in three separate deals. He re-acquired center Daniel Theis from the Houston Rockets for Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom, and Bruno Fernando. He then picked up guard Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs. Boston also traded Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier for a second-round pick.

It was in the deal for White where the Celtics lost their 2022 first-round pick. Boston sent Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, and their top-four protected 2022 first-round pick to the Spurs.

Boston owns the No. 53 pick in the draft.

Like Sportscasting on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19 and subscribe to our YouTube channel.