The 2016–17 Boston Celtics season was the 71st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team obtained the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2008 when they won the NBA title. At 53–29, they finished with the lowest winning percentage of a No. 1 seed since the Detroit Pistons in 2007.

In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls in the First Round in six games, advancing to the Semifinals, where they then defeated the Washington Wizards in seven games, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.

Isaiah Thomas was voted to play in the 2017 All-Star Game.

Following the season, Avery Bradley was traded to the Detroit Pistons, Kelly Olynyk signed with the Miami Heat and Thomas and Jae Crowder were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending the Isaiah Thomas era in Boston.

The Boston Celtics hold a modern-day league record for most NBA draft picks held in the draft ever since the league modified the NBA draft to being only two rounds long with eight total draft picks. Their top selection was acquired by the Brooklyn Nets this season due to them not only holding the third-worst record in the season, but also having it as part of their payment for trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in 2013. Their middle first round selection, meanwhile, was recorded by the Dallas Mavericks trading it away to Boston in 2014 in order to acquire Rajon Rondo and Dwight Powell. The last first round selection they hold, though, is the one they got for having one of the best regular season records last season. Meanwhile, every second round selection for the Celtics this year was acquired via trade, although their own second round selection (which would have been Pick 52 this year) would be traded away to the Utah Jazz.

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