Boston Celtics will send No. 1 to Philly, another trade coming?

Boston Celtics fans if you’ve fallen in love with Markelle Fultz at No. 1, say goodbye. Instead, welcome your new tradeable draft picks.

Sources have reported that the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will finalize a deal for the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft on Monday. Philly is expected to draft Markelle Fultz with the pick.

In the trade, it is reported that Boston will receive the No. 3 pick this year, and a future first round pick.

That pick will likely be the Lakers first round pick in 2018 if it falls between No. 2 and No. 5. If not, the Celtics will get the 2019 FRP from the Kings.

The Next Step

I wrote a piece about how things could shake out following a trade. Now that we know the pieces involved though my imagination is running wild. The trade makes it seem like the Celtics already have another deal in place for a superstar.

Danny Ainge needs to have a strong belief that he is going to land a superstar in a trade after this deal is done, maybe even before the NBA Draft. The two names that are floating out there the most are Jimmy Butler and Anthony Davis. It seems like you would need to give up a lot more for Davis, but he’s the right pick if you are confident you’ll land Gordon Hayward in free agency.

Boston will give up a ton of picks for Anthony Davis in a trade, but it’s the only way New Orleans will even give you a chance. Here is something I think the Pelicans may be interested in.

New Orleans can realistically receive five first round picks from Boston for Anthony Davis. Even so, Boston would still have their own FRP in 2018 and 2019, as well as the 2019 Clippers pick. They also may still have FRP from Memphis and the Clippers in 2020. The move would allow the Pelicans to truly reload and rebuild, while the Celtics perhaps become the favorite in the Eastern Conference.

Davis has four years left on his contract which reaches its peak in 2020-2021 at $28 million. By trading Crowder, Boston should still have enough room to sign a player like Gordon Hayward.

Boston may not be one dealing though. To free up even more cap space Boston could part ways with Avery Bradley, sending him to Minnesota for the No. 7 pick. The Celtics could have two top-10 picks in the NBA Draft this year, while also landing their superstars.

Bradley is a beloved figure in Boston and it would be hard to see him go, but it would be the right move. The Timberwolves have a solid core in place, but they could add some veteran leadership in the locker room. The trade would be a win-win for both sides.

Who’s the pick at No. 3? No. 7?

So, Boston can potentially land two superstars by making this trade in Davis and Hayward. The question then becomes who is selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Danny Ainge and the Celtics have made it known that they think there are four to five really great players in this draft, and they must not think the gap between Fultz and the others is that large.

Fultz will go No.1 overall to the Sixers, but we still don’t know what the Lakers will do with No. 2. It seems like they will take either Josh Jackson or Lonzo Ball. So what will Boston do?

I think we also go after either Jackson or Ball. Each would find themselves on the bench, at least to start the year, but they’d surely get impactful minutes. It all comes down to who the Lakers decide to take. I think they’ll lean towards Lonzo Ball, sending Josh Jackson to Boston.

The Celtics will also have the chance to add a key rookie at No. 7 if they were to send AB to Minnesota. Arizona PF Lauri Markkanen would be in play there. The 20-year old 7-footer averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Wildcats. He would help the team on the glass and would likely be part of an extremely deep Boston bench.

The Dream Team

If this scenario plays out, and trust me I know it’s crazy and won’t all happen, here is what your Celtics team could look like in 2017. The one other free agent I’d like to see come to Boston is J.J. Redick. His veteran presence and 3-point ability off the bench would be amazing to have.

The Starters

PG Isaiah Thomas
SG Marcus Smart
SF Gordon Hayward
PF Al Horford
C Anthony Davis

The Bench

SF Jaylen Brown

SG Gerald Green

SF Josh Jackson

PF Jordan Mickey

SG J.J. Redick

PG Terry Rozier

C Ante Zizic

Next: Josh Jackson Draft Profile

I know this is an extremely positive outlook for the Celtics this offseason and that it may not all go down, but it could. Do you think this team would become the Eastern Conference favorites? How would they fair against the Warriors in the NBA Finals?

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