We were poised for a big move. The Celtics and Bruins went into their drafts last week with lots of talk about trades that would catapult them toward the top of the first round. General Managers Danny Ainge and Don Sweeney were ready to land a stud who could make an immediate impact at TD Garden this fall.

Instead, fans are looking at the future. The long-term future. And wondering if the coming season is going to be any better than the one that just ended.

The Bruins made the most noise but failed at bringing in a big fish. Sweeney, a newcomer to the GM position, broke up the core of his club by sending young defenseman Dougie Hamilton to Calgary and veteran Milan Lucic to the Kings. In return, he got a backup goalie, a minor-league defenseman and draft picks.

A lot of draft picks.

For a few hours Friday afternoon, we all thought there was no way Sweeney would hold onto the 13th, 14th and 15th picks in that night’s draft. No team had ever drafted three straight times in the first round under the current draft system. We were all waiting to see how he would flip those picks.

There would be no flipping. Those picks would become Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn – a defenseman and two wingers who will most likely need more seasoning before making their NHL debuts.

In the Lucic deal, the Bruins also acquired promising goaltender Martin Jones and puck-moving defenseman Colin Miller. The Hamilton trade was a little more surprising. He’s a big, young defenseman, the kind of player you look to build around. Sweeney traded him for three draft picks – a first rounder and two second-round picks.

There were rumors that Hamilton, about to become a restricted free agent, wanted big money for his next contract, far more than the Bruins wanted to give him. So Sweeney got three players for him in return.

Those players may become important parts of the Bruins, but not in the immediate future. Unless they are moved in deals with other teams before free agency begins.

The Celtics also were rumored to be looking to move up high enough in the draft to get a top prospect. Ainge has proven his worth as a wheeling, dealing executive in the past. Surely he would find a way to get into the top 10 picks on draft night.

Instead, his offers of multiple picks were rebuffed by other teams. Ainge landed Terry Rozier with the 16th pick and R.J. Hunter with the 28th. They are both interesting picks. They are also both guards, and the Celtics already had more than enough guards.

With the Red Sox struggling and Patriots training camp a month away, the Celtics and Bruins had a chance to entertain us with draft-day news. Instead, it was a frustrating week. The Celtics are no better than they were when this season ended. The Bruins are worse, with three NHL-caliber players gone (including Carl Soderberg, whose rights were traded Thursday to the Avalanche for a sixth-round pick in 2016) and none coming in return.

There is still time for both GMs to make more moves. The Garden will be dormant for more than three months. We’ll reserve judgment until opening night is here for both teams. At this moment, a grade of incomplete is about the best either could ask for.

Tom Caron is the studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.