If you told Boston Celtics fans two weeks ago that the Celtics would lose the series against the New York Knicks, especially in the fashion that they did, they’d think you’re lying. Reality set in amidst another late-game collapse when Jayson Tatum went down in Game 4, with all concern turned towards Tatum's health and the team’s gloomy future ahead.
With the Celtics eliminated from the playoffs and Tatum potentially missing all of next season, Brad Stevens and the front office will have some difficult decisions to make.
To Celtic fans' surprise, Stevens and co. recently met with New England native and consensus number one pick Cooper Flagg.
Celtics Interview Cooper Flagg
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports reported on his podcast that the Celtics interviewed projected top pick Cooper Flagg. O’Connor also mentions that the Celtics also interviewed Tre Johnson, who is a projected top five pick in Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman’s recent mock draft.
This move by the Celtics is intriguing, considering the team only owns the 28th and 32nd overall picks. Teams can interview only 13 draft prospects, and the Celtics used two of them on the top-five-projected players.
Flagg is regarded as one of the best prospects in recent years. He won the AP Player of the Year Award, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from three, leading the Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four in his lone season with the team.
The Story is Overblown
While I, along with others, was initially shocked that the Celtics interviewed him, I believe this story is overblown. First, the Dallas Mavericks would have to give up the number one pick, and there is no way they would be willing to give it up.
Second, the Celtics would have to give up a major haul, consisting of Jaylen Brown, other players, and multiple draft picks, to get the number one selection. Instead, I believe the Celtics did this to get to know Flagg and try to build a good rapport with him, considering Flagg is a Celtic fan.
Flagg, a Maine native, notably talked about owning a DVD set of the 1985-1986 Celtics team that he would watch while going to AAU games. Not only that, but he’s also stated that he models his game after Jayson Tatum. Flagg attended one of Tatum’s basketball camps back in 2022.
His connections to Boston don’t stop there, as he signed a shoe deal with New Balance, whose headquarters are located in Boston, and have factories near his hometown of Newport, Maine.
Interviewing Flagg was a respectful gesture, giving the local kid a dream-come-true moment by giving him an interview with his hometown team. Although the idea of Flagg in Celtics green would be a beautiful sight, the Celtics will, sadly, not be able to get him.