The Boston Celtics are primed to begin the Eastern Conference Finals with, at the very least, a puncher’s chance to dethrone LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before that series even begins, however, the Celtics received a massive infusion of fortune as Boston claimed victory and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
As a result of the ill-fated trade that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics received swap rights for the 2017 draft (among a bevy of picks and assets) from Brooklyn and that turned out to be the key to snatching the top pick this year. Washington point guard Markelle Fultz is the consensus No. 1 player in 2017 class but, with that in mind, Boston is set at the point guard position with Isaiah Thomas and could look to move the selection via trade to improve with haste.
At any rate, the Boston Celtics added to their embarrassment of riches in terms of assets and they will be a force to be reckon with in the future. The full 2017 NBA Draft order can be found below:
1. Boston (swap with Brooklyn)
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Philadelphia (swap with Sacramento)
4. Phoenix
5. Sacramento (swap with Philadelphia)
6. Orlando
7. Minnesota
8. New York
9. Dallas
10. Sacramento (via New Orleans)
11. Charlotte
12. Detroit
13. Denver
14. Miami
15. Portland
16. Chicago
17. Milwaukee
18. Indiana
19. Atlanta
20. Portland (via Memphis)
21. Oklahoma City
22. Brooklyn (via Washington)
23. Toronto
24. Utah
25. Orlando (via LA Clippers)
26. Portland (via Cleveland)
27. Brooklyn (swap with Boston)
28. L.A. Lakers (via Houston)
29. San Antonio
30. Utah (via Golden State)
