Expect movement from Celtics on Draft Night
COMMENTARY
Who do you think the Celtics will select tonight when pick No. 16 rolls around in Brooklyn?
Bobby Portis? Myles Turner? Justin Anderson? Frank Kaminsky? Sam Dekker? Kelly Oubre? Kevan Looney? Rondae Hollis-Jefferson?
How about none of them? They’re all going somewhere else and I wish them well. With Danny Ainge, phone in hand, thinking Boston will be on the clock would qualify as ‘expecting the unexpected’ these days.
Like many of you, I presume, I’m expecting the C’s president of basketball operations to follow through on his Tuesday tease and make a trade, maybe multiple moves, in tonight’s NBA Draft. Ainge told reporters he’s interested in trading up with both of his first-round picks, Nos. 16 and 28, and I believe he’ll make something happen.
Something, perhaps, is the key word here.
Though teams like the Knicks (No, 4), Kings (No. 6), Nuggets (No. 7), Pistons (No. 8), and possibly the Hornets (No. 9) are just some of the contenders to trade out of the top-10, it’s important to remember it would require a haul to jump from 16 into the high-to-mid lottery. Keep in mind only two years ago Ainge had to give up No. 16 and two future second-rounders just to pry No. 13 from Mark Cuban’s Mavericks for the rights to Kelly Olynyk. The cost for any sort of substantial move to target, say, Willie Cauley Stein (yeah, I want him here too) in the 7-11 range or someone worthy of landing in the top-five would require future first-round selections – here’s looking at you, Brooklyn picks – and talent on the current roster, possibly last year’s No. 6 entry, Marcus Smart (Boston’s most valuable commodity among those who bought a jersey last season). Many have suggested Jared Sullinger is also a candidate to move after years of injuries and conditioning issues.
That doesn’t mean a big move up won’t happen. The Celts already reportedly offered Smart and their two first-round picks this year to the Sixers for Malden, Mass. native Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 choice, which probably caused laughter in Philadelphia before the call even ended. Since, there have been rumblings of the Celtics making Phily a “Godfather offer’’ if Duke’s Jahlil Okafor is still available with the third pick.
Then there’s the other route. If Ainge is seriously intrigued by bringing soon-to-be superstar center DeMarcus Cousins to Boston, as has been floated for some time now, Smart and a host of draft picks would do nothing more than start the conversation. Even then, it’s almost impossible to compete with the Lakers if they’re willing to part with tonight’s No. 2 option. Targeting LaMarcus Aldridge, who appears to be on the verge of departing the Blazers, in a sign-and-trade could be on the table as well, though he’s reported to have his sights on heading to a squad in his native Texas. If the C’s wanted to attempt to entice Aldridge, Kevin Love, or any other prospective free agent, they may try to swing a trade for another team’s star in hopes of beginning to create a new Big Three, just as they did in 2007 for Ray Allen.
As you can tell, anything and everything is on the table – even trading down and for additional picks in order to take a flier on former No. 1 Anthony Bennett, now of the Timberwolves – and that is part of what makes nights like tonight so much fun.
Austin Ainge, the club’s director of player personnel, recently said the Celtics have spoken with every team in the lottery and probably every team in the league by now. They have a sense of the players each team likes, how passionately they want them, whether they’re willing to move off of their present draft positions, and if any stars on their rosters are up for grabs.
This isn’t about “fireworks,’’ a term commonly tossed around these parts since co-owner Wyc Grousbeck’s proclamation last summer. It’s about progress for a franchise that surprised most with 40 wins and a playoff appearance last year under promising young coach Brad Stevens. Ainge has done a masterful job of acquiring assets over the last two summers in the forms of tradable young talent, a war chest of draft picks, more than $20 million dollars in trade exceptions, and expiring contracts. He’s declared no player on the roster is untouchable, there are no aspirations to welcome four rookies into the fold, and he’s eager to assemble a competitive roster that provides Stevens with more continuity than he was permitted to work with in his first two years. And you can bet he doesn’t want to take a step backwards into next year’s lottery if he can avoid it, unless that comes courtesy of a Nets selection.
The rumors will continue to fly leading into the evening and throughout the night, as they have for days. Most, as Ainge noted, will be completely unsubstantiated and borderline comical. Others will be realistic but will, for one reason or another, fall short of completion. Teams all around the league, including the one with a mascot named “Lucky,’’ will be active and incredibly aggressive.
My expectation? Again, a trade. Maybe two, but not for the next Boston superstar – unless he comes from the top end of the draft and the club lucks out down the line. The Celtics won’t be on the board at No. 16 tonight and 28’s a long-shot as well. You don’t generally build towards a championship with picks like those and Ainge will do everything in his power to avoid having to use them.
The postseason matchup with LeBron James’ Cavaliers may not have favored the Green, but on nights like tonight Danny Ainge is typically a winner. As he said, stay tuned.
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