The Celtics are in position to benefit from the harsh penalties handed out to the Clippers for salary cap circumvention, according to Brian Robb of MassLive. Part of the return in the deal that send Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia this summer was a first-round pick/swap of the 2028 selection that originally belonged to Los Angeles.

As Robb outlines, Boston will receive the pick through a swap if the Clippers land between 1 and 16 in the expanded lottery and the Sixers are between 1 and 8. The Celtics would be able to take the higher of those picks while sending out their own selection in return. They would get the pick outright while holding onto their own draft choice if L.A. is between 17 and 30 and Philadelphia is between 9 and 30.

Robb notes that the sanctions imposed by commissioner Adam Silver make it more likely that the Clippers will be a lottery team in the 2027/28 season. That would lead to a high draft pick for the Celtics to build their future around or a valuable trade chip that could be moved in a more immediate deal.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• The Sixers also stand to benefit from the Clippers’ misfortune via a 2029 top-three protected pick swap they received from L.A. as part of the James Harden trade in 2023, Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer states in a subscriber-only story. A league source confirmed to Hine that the Clippers will lose a 2029 first-rounder they are owed from Indiana, but the pick they sent to Philadelphia won’t be affected. Hine also expects L.A. to tumble down the standings over the next few years, and like Robb, he suggests that the pick’s greatest value could be as a trade asset.
• Veteran guard Bruce Brown may be a target for the Knicks before the start of training camp, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints suggests on the Clutch Scoops podcast (Twitter link, hat tip to Ryan Anderson of The New York Post). Siegel notes that Brown is a CAA client with a similar playing style as Josh Hart. Siegel cites rumors that the Lakers also have interest in Brown, but he views New York as a more realistic option.
• Nets forward Julius Randle, a former Knick, was happy to see his old team capture the NBA title last season (Twitter video link). “What the organization accomplished is great,” he said. “Been a long time coming. Took a lot of hard years, a lot of different players, to build it up to what it was. It’s amazing. Definitely look forward to creating that in Brooklyn.”