While most of the intrigue Friday revolved around the potential deal of trading the No. 1 pick in the draft to the Sixers, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald says that Celtics GM Danny Ainge could actually make several moves that allows his team to become a real force next season:
While Danny Ainge may like some more than others, sources now and over the latter half of the college season say he’s been looking hardest into guards Fultz and Lonzo Ball and forwards Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum.
The Celts would certainly benefit from adding any one of those players, but the key to this transaction may be the additional asset gained. It might be helpful to view this potential move for what it could also bring.
It would be a fair certainty that Philadelphia will be conveying either their own first-rounder in 2018 or the one in the same draft they acquired from the Lakers. The Celtics already have Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick, as well as their own.
And at this point, Ainge has to be looking even harder at turning these stock futures into present day value. With Al Horford having turned 31 earlier this month and Isaiah Thomas about to enter the final year of his contract, it would behoove the Celtics to see what they can accomplish now instead of just playing the long game. And they’ve already been hoarding potential cap space to make a run at a major free agent this summer.
In other words, there could be more shoes to drop if this deal goes through, and the Celts will at least be in position to offer a fair bundle of picks and younger players of value to a team that may be nearing the wall with a present star.
