The rumors have been flying that the Celtics are trying to move up. Today, Danny Ainge confirmed the Celtics are, in fact, trying to get something done to change their draft position.
Danny Ainge says, “We’re having discussions to move up w/ both of our picks in the 1st round. We’re hoping to move up w/ at least one.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 23, 2015
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Ainge:”We’re always looking for quality over quantity. We have a lot picks.We’d like to make fewer picks this year, next year and so forth.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 23, 2015
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Ainge:”We don’t know where we’re drafting or what position we’ll be in.We think there’ll be a lot of activity on draft night so stay tuned.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 23, 2015
Stay tuned? That’s an interesting way to put it. Maybe one of the reasons we should stay tuned is because Marcus Smart is rumored to be among the assets that could be traded.
League executives also said the Celtics were trying to move up in the draft, using their two first-round picks and two second-round picks as bait.
The executives said the Celtics were looking to trade point guard Marcus Smart and the Nos. 16 and 28 picks in the first round to Philadelphia for center/forward Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 pick. But the 76ers, the executives said, weren’t interested.
Would you give up, essentially, 3 of your 4 first round draft picks from last year and this year to grab #3 and Nerlins Noel? Would that make D’Angelo Russell the target in this scenario?
I love what Smart brings to the team, but Russell brings a little more length and offense to the position. And that would essentially make the last two drafts a haul of Noel, Russell, and James Young. In the end, that sounds like a good trade to make, even within the division. You have to wonder if the recent news that Joel Embiid could miss another season played into the Sixers’ lack of interest.
Even if that rumor is BS, it’s still obvious that Ainge is very open to moving up, and he’s basically putting everyone on the table if he feels like it will make the team better.
You know… Ainge being Ainge.
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