They would also acquire 4-time All-Star Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers via trade on August 22, 2017, in exchange for Ante Žižić, Jae Crowder, All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected first-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft, and a 2020 second-round pick, originally from the Miami Heat.
(The Nets struggled in part because of a previous, infamous trade with the Celtics, that swapped role players Jason Terry and D.J.
During his only year at Southern Methodist, Ojeleye helped lead the Mustangs to their second ever AAC Tournament victory by recording averages of 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game there.
For the second of Boston's three second-round picks, at number 53, the Celtics selected senior shooting guard Kadeem Allen from University of Arizona.
Finally, with their last second-round pick at number 56, Boston chose another senior shooting guard, this time being Jabari Bird from the University of California.
Both Kadeem Allen and Jabari Bird would become the team's first-ever players to sign two-way contracts with the team, meaning they get to split their playing time for at least this season between the Celtics and their NBA G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, with Maine holding them for the majority of this season as a result of the two-way contract's stipulations.