The Boston Celtics are trying to shake things up in the NBA Draft, but could trading Marcus Smart be on their agenda?
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Ainge enjoys this time of the season as he say it is similar to taking a shot late in the game.
If this means the Celtics are interested in moving their two first-round picks, then that’s fine.
Could Ainge do something out of left field to move up into the top 4 in the draft? He is widely believed to be the team’s point guard of the future. 16, 28, 33 and 45).
Other players in that range are Sam Dekker, Bobby Portis, Trey Lyles, Kelly Oubre and Kevon Looney.
But at this point in the draft, it’s anybody’s guess, who will get picked.
The idea of picking up another first-round talent would add to the idea that the Sixers want to stop tanking this year. “Nobody wants to move down, you have to be enticed to”. It should be an interesting few days, as I expect several teams to make trades to move up or down in the draft plus there are some players (Demarcus Cousins?) who could also be on the move. Personally, he’s one of my favorite players in the draft. Some of them will probably be gone before no. 16. His exceptional spot-up shooting, quality shot creation from the perimeter and underrated passing aptitude are a seamless fit in lieu of the Lance Stephenson trade. A player like Frank Kaminsky is a candidate for dropping out of the lottery, and even if he has limited upside, he should at least be one, who the Celtics considered, a lot.
Hanlan easily is an upgrade over PG Phil Pressey and has the potential to be a better offensive player than SG Avery Bradley. He can develop the offense over time. They might not go anywhere, and if they do, they might go somewhere else. He also averaged 30.8 minutes per contest. He has the potential to become an elite perimeter defender. This is a crucial time for Boston. Or do they try to trade the pick? He’ll likely wait until draft night to pounce, considering he’ll want to hear as many offers as possible, before choosing the most promising one. Additionally, they have the ability to reassure depth issues with the 28th and 33rd picks added alongside their own selection at 38.
An ideal 3-and-D player, Anderson could be the starting small forward Boston is looking for.
Chris McCullough might have the highest upside at this point in the draft. Whether or not one of the above methods is the way a transaction transpires is yet to be seen, but either of the three deals are reasonable trades to speculate.
Danny Ainge hopes to be smiling by the end of Thursday night. I can’t help but think that a bunch of these rumors will just naturally combine like Voltron and turn into a monster trade that involves Boogie, Eric Bledsoe, Ty Lawson, the Sixers, and pick swaps galore.
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