The No. 1 overall pick now belongs to the Sixers after the Celtics flipped the top pick for the No. 3 overall pick this year and either the 2018 Lakers first round pick or the 2019 Kings first round pick, depending on some protections (which you can read about here). Boston clearly wasn’t as enamored with Washington point guard Markelle Fultz as most others, reportedly for a few reasons, as they passed the right to take him along to Philly in order to continue acquiring more future assets.
Danny Ainge has done a great job collecting said assets, the list of future first round draft picks held by the Celtics is ridiculous.
2017 No. 3 overall pick (via Philadelphia from Sacramento)
2018 Brooklyn (no protections)
2018 Lakers (only conveys if 2-5)
2018 Boston
2019 Clippers (lottery protected)
2019 Grizzlies (Top 8 protected)
2019 Kings (only conveys if Lakers pick does not)
2019 Boston
So, over the next three years, the Celtics could potentially pick seven times in the first round and they have five second round picks owned through 2019. That doesn’t even factor in Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic, two former Celtics draft selections that could join the main roster this season. Twelve draft picks, plus two former picks, being added in three years is far too many to actually use, considering rosters are capped at 15 players, which means more moves have to be coming from Danny Ainge.
The question is, what do they do? There are lots of options for Ainge and the Celtics, but all indications are that something else will happen. By my estimation, there are about five possible outcomes for the future involving these numerous Celtics draft picks, and so I’ve ranked them below, five to one, as to which are the best options.
5. Trade down again for more future assets
Let’s get weird, Danny Ainge. Everyone’s waiting on more trades, so give them what they want. Except, instead of trying to get players for right now, let’s move back again in this year’s draft and pick up more future first rounders. If you play your cards right, by 2025 you could own the whole lottery.
4. Draft in all of those positions, creating a Maine Red Claws G-League dynasty
Everyone knows the Celtics want to win championships, but what if we’ve been going about this all wrong. Collecting these assets hasn’t been to put more banners up in the TD Garden. No, this has been all about creating a G-League dynasty (the new name for the D-League for those not keeping track of sponsor changes) for their affiliate the Maine Red Claws. The Red Claws have won three straight division titles, but they want G-League glory and Ainge can assure them of that by loading the roster up with top draft talent.
3. Stay put at No. 3 and draft Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum, worry about dealing future picks later, hope to land Hayward or Griffin in free agency
This is still a possibility. Jackson is the player that the Celtics were rumored to be considering ahead of Fultz anyways and he should be there, considering he didn’t have a great workout in L.A. and the Lakers are still expected to go the Lonzo Ball route. Tatum has been linked to the Celtics more recently, and either player fits Boston’s needs better than Fultz (with them expected to re-sign Isaiah Thomas).
Jackson would be the fan favorite after he made fun of Markelle Fultz on Twitter briefly before deleting said tweet, but either could be the move to get more out of the wing, which was proven to be their weakest spot in the playoffs.
Their future stable of picks can all be moved at a later date, either in an effort to move up in the draft next year or acquire more help right for their roster at the trade deadline. Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin have both been linked to Boston in free agency, and if the Celtics could land one of them without having to deal a pick, that would be a great start and they could use their future ammunition at the deadline.
But, while both could be free agent targets of Boston, they are both favored to re-sign with their current clubs this offseason, making it a bit of a gamble to expect to upgrade the current roster exclusively through free agency — although, future picks could be used in a potential sign-and-trade for Griffin.
This option would be a bit of a surprising choice, considering the expectation is more moves are coming, but it’s not out of the question or an outright disaster if this happens and Ainge continues his long play.
The problem with this option is that you’re banking on free agency and if that doesn’t go according to plan, you’ve done little to advance your status as a competitor in the East after a season in which you likely saw the peak from certain stars (like Isaiah Thomas).
2. Trading No. 3 and some other combination of assets and current role players for someone not named Jimmy Butler
The Celtics aren’t your typical front of the draft team. They’re coming off a season in which they were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference (even if no one believed they were the best team) and they seem to be at least close to competing right now. That means, while assets are nice, someone that could contribute right now might be more important.
There’s reason to question whether this is the right move, chiefly the presence of the Warriors in the West blocking paths to titles for seemingly the next few years, but this is a great window for Boston to compete with Cleveland in the East.
The question is who they can get, should they decide not to pursue Jimmy Butler or cannot land Butler. The Bulls’ asking price will likely be high, and for good reason, Butler is in his prime, on an excellent, team-friendly contract on today’s market, and is coming off of a career-best year. Boston balked at the Bulls’ requests at the trade deadline, according to reports, and they may do the same now.
That doesn’t mean a package for someone else couldn’t happen, though.
Paul George was rumored to be a target at the deadline and they could make a run at him again to hope Indiana is afraid of those Lakers rumors for 2018. However, that’s a far riskier play, even if you think George is better than Butler, because there’s no assurance he stays long term. Other than Butler and George, it’s hard to think of guys that could be available and would be worthy of flipping a top-3 pick for.
Any realistic options (i.e., not Anthony Davis), would seem like a stretch and likely wouldn’t close the gap between Boston and Cleveland all that significantly. 1. Trading No. 3 and some combination of assets for Jimmy Butler
I felt the Celtics should have gone after Butler at the deadline, and I still think he’s the best fit for them if the goal is to run it back. I love Paul George, and when you talk about trying to compete with LeBron James, George might be your best bet, but I’d be terrified if I was Boston that he’d still jump ship for the Lakers next summer (this has only been reinforced by the latest report that he’s told the Pacers he’s leaving next summer and his preferred destination is L.A.). That would mean you’ve blown both your current window and future window all in one move.
Butler, however, would be around for at least two more years and would be a prime candidate to re-sign in 2019 (although he’d certainly have interest from elsewhere). Adding Butler would give them two options for creating scoring chances in the fourth quarter, something they struggled terribly with against the Cavs in the postseason.
When Thomas got bottled up, they had no other options. Al Horford, while a great player, can’t be asked to make things happen on his own. If you had Thomas, Butler, and Horford all together, that’s a formidable offensive attack from all areas of the floor.
Falling in love with this year’s roster is dangerous, because it’s hard to see where they improve from here without making a splash move. Zizic and/or Yabusele might be able to offer some immediate role help, but they don’t move the needle enough to make Boston suddenly competitive with the Cavs. Thomas, coming off a career year, is a candidate for regression next season, which, even if mild, would mean the Celtics would be worse than they were this past season.
If the Celtics are going forward with their core group as established by re-signing Thomas — which, trading the rights to Fultz seems to indicate they will — they have to add more to maximize this current window. Horford and Thomas are each in their 30s, which means they won’t still be stars in their primes capable of carrying the load once a 2018 Lakers pick or 2019 Kings pick become stars in the league, so you’re most likely just extending the present by not making a move.
The Bulls haven’t made Butler available as of now, per reports, but considering how the Bulls’ season ended, they’ll have to consider a move if a good offer comes their way.
While NBA Draft is fluid – no sense in NBA circles that Jimmy Butler likely to be traded around the draft – won't stop teams from asking
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 18, 2017
We don’t know if Butler makes the difference for the Celtics in the East, but we do know that this roster as currently constructed cannot compete with the Cavaliers in a seven game series. If you’re bringing Thomas back and keeping the basic roster structured as is, then this is the time to turn some of those assets into a star if you can.
