Boston Celtics: 3 Top 10 prospects on Danny Ainge’s wish list
Even with the No. 27 pick in Thursday night’s 2018 NBA draft, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is expected to make things interesting on a night they don’t have to do much of anything.
With both Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving returning from injury, the Celtics find themselves in a unique position where they don’t need to rely on the draft for another piece.
Coming off a season in which the team went to the Eastern Conference Finals without their big stars and led by their last four first-round picks (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier), Ainge could stand pat at No. 27 in hopes of getting a complimentary player.
But why would he do a thing like that?
With rumors swirling that the team is looking to move up to get as high as the No. 3 pick overall, the Boston Celtics could end up being the talk of a draft they weren’t expected to make much noise in.
It would be tough, but Ainge and the Celtics have all their bases covered. If they do somehow get into the top 10 via trade, they will be prepared to take whoever is available.
"“We’re evaluating the entire draft, and we’re preparing ourselves to be anywhere in the draft – whatever happens,” Ainge said in a conversation with the Boston Herald. “We could be in the middle of the draft or anywhere.”"
How high Danny Ainge could move up (if he moves up) will depend on which team or teams he can lure into a deal without having to part ways with Brown, Tatum or Irving.
That may be the tougher part for the Celtics GM as many teams don’t want to be the next team fleeced by Trader Danny.