Since the draft order was dertimined on Tuesday there is a lot of buz sorounding a possible trade involving the first pick in the draft, which currently belongs to Boston. We can get into whether or not it makes sense for the Celtics to trade the pick or do a selection of their own, which is a whole other topic. Their is also a lot of talks about trading the pick for a "superstar" like Jimmy Butler or Paul George. And from time to time somebody throws in the idea of trading down. This idea is often presented without any context on who wants to trade up to the top of the draft and which pick/future assets combination would it take to make the Celtics accept a trade.
I am very intrigued by the idea of trading down because I think there is no way that the Celtics won't give Isaiah Thomas all the money they can offer him after this years playoffs. Keeping this in mind, drafting Markelle Fultz does not make a lot of sense.
Some people could see the Celtics surprising everybody and taking one of the forwards Jayson Tatum or Josh Jackson number one. But I would much rather see the Celtics trade down knowing there is no way the Lakers pass up on one of the top two guards. This brings us to:
Scenario 1: Trading down to 3/4
Why the 76ers would do it:
Despite solid play by T.J. McConnell the 76ers desperately need a creator in the backcourt. Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball would provide good scoring output while keeping Joel Embiid and Dario Saric involved. Also would drafting a small forward at this spot create problems as they have Ben Simmons returning from injury and with him and Saric most of the forward minutes are already committed.
Why the 76ers would not do it
The 76ers could just take De'Aaron Fox at number three and run with him instead of giving up assets to accquire the first pick.
What a possible trade could look like:
Celtics receive:
2017 No. 3 pick (via Kings)
Richaun Holmes
2018 1st round pick (Lottery protected - become 2018 and 2019 2nd round picks if PHI keeps 1st rounder)
76ers receive:
2017 No. 1 pick (via Nets)
Why the Suns would do it:
The Suns want to build their team around Devin Booker and could use a young point guard to set him up and ease the pressure on Booker's shoulders.
Why the Suns would not do it:
They already have a lot of money spent on their Point Guards and Eric Bledsoe is still a valuable player. Trading for a young point guard would also limit Tyler Ulis' chance of proving himself after a great post-All-Star-Game run this season. Plus the Suns could use a good young forward probably even more than a point guard.
Possible trade:
Celtics receive
2017 No. 4 pick
Dragan Bender
2018 1st round pick
Suns receive:
2017 No. 1 pick
We already established that the Celtics do not need a point guard. They could really use a scoring forward. But the Celtics need a rebounding and defending big. They may take a good look at Zach Collins from Gonzaga and want to trade down for him.
Scenario 2: Trading down to 7-10
I eliminate both the Kings and the Knicks from this hypothetical. First, it is unlikely to figure out what is going on in their respective front offices and second could the Kings draft either Smith or Fox (depending on availability) at number five. And the Knicks are more likely to go after a point guard in free agency.
This leaves us with Minnesota and Dallas.
Why the Timberwolves would do it:
They need a ball handler to take the ball out of Andrew Wiggins' hands. After drafting Kris Dunn last year seems like it has been a mistake and Ricky Rubio is still lacking reliable shooting the have a vacancy at the point.
Why the Timberwolves would not do it:
Ricky Rubio was a very solid player after returning from injury this season and they might want to give Kris Dunn more time to figure things out.
Possible trade:
The Celtics receive:
2017 No. 7 pick
2018 1st round pick (Top 5 protected, otherwise 2019 1st)
Zach LaVine
The Wolves receive:
2017 No. 1 pick
Why the Mavs would do it:
Dirk's career is coming to an end but the torch is yet to be passed on to the next guy. While Harrison Barnes showed good things last year, Mark Cuban wants a superstar on his roster. After years of free agency disappointements they might take a chance and trade up to the top of the draft.
Why the Mavs would not do it:
They do not have great pieces to add to their pick. They may have to offer a couple of extra picks plus one of Yogi or Curry. And they might get Lauri Markannen with this pick and let Dirk mentor him for a year before handing him the keys to their offense.
Possible trade:
The Celtics receive:
2017 No. 9 pick
2018 1st round pick (Top 5 protected, otherwise 2019 first round pick)
2020 1st round pick swap rights
2021 1st round pick
Seth Curry
The Mavs receive:
2017 No. 1 pick
After diving in all of these hypothetical trades I am very excited for some draft day drama. I think there is a lot of uncertainty even if the Celtics keep their pick. With the Kings and Knicks holding three lottery picks we may see some parody and if not, we will still have LaVar Ball in the green room.
