Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Former Providence head coach Tim Welsh reported on CSN’s Sports Tonight that the Philadelphia Sixers are pushing to complete a trade for Boston’s third pick before Thursday’s NBA Draft.
“Philly has told Kris Dunn’s camp and his agent they are trying to push the buttons to have this happen before the draft,” Welsh said. “They’ve been in Providence locked in to the city talking to everyone that’s ever encountered Kris Dunn. They are putting the full court press on the Celtics to acquire the third pick. It could go down in the next two days, so we’ll see. Boston has the upper hand in knowing what Philly wants.”
Welsh said the Celtics prefer Nerlens Noel to Jahlil Okafor in a trade package, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Noel is simply a better player in the positionless NBA.
Noel has tremendous potential on defense as a rangy shot blocker and he’s an explosive leaper who would give the Celtics a serious lob threat.
I don’t think anyone is overly excited with the idea of giving up the 3rd pick for Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor. Sure, both guys would improve the team in different areas but can’t we do better?
Kevin O’Connor floats a third team into the mix – the Chicago Bulls – with Boston’s target being Jimmy Butler. Maybe some combination of Noel/Okafor, Avery Bradley and additional 1st rounders moves the needle for Chicago. It certainly moves the needle for me.
FWIW, ESPN’s Chad Ford floats a scenario where the Celtics ship Bradley, Rozier, Hunter, 16 and 23 to Philly for Okafor and others.
On Page 2, the case for Jaylen Brown.
That is why California forward Jaylen Brown is one of the more fascinating players in this year’s draft. If the Celtics are interested in Brown with the No. 3 pick, the team will be forced to essentially choose a side of the fence. The eyeball test with Brown shows a 19-year-old with intriguing raw athleticism, while multiple computer models suggest Brown will struggle to make an impact at the next level.
There’s a buzz about Brown in these final days before the draft on the strength of his pre-draft workouts. ESPN draft guru Chad Ford even moved Brown up to No. 3 in his latest mock draft.
Ford noted that multiple teams deemed Brown “stellar” in recent workouts and said on air that, despite a shaky freshman season, Brown might have the highest ceiling of any player who is expected to be available when the Celtics are on the clock.
I’m not the biggest analytics guy. Sometimes you gotta go with your gut.
But… I do recall the last time the Celtics spent a 1st round pick on a raw athlete named Brown. Anyone remember Kedrick back in 2001?
And finally… the Ws want some Dirk.
One big name free-agent who probably will get a call from the Warriors in July: Dirk Nowitzki. https://t.co/ieXCw9c60i
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) June 21, 2016
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Ooh… wouldn’t that be fun?
The rest of the links
Herald – Potential to feast on seconds | Globe – Dragan Bender: NBA draft’s most intriguing prospect
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