ESPN Insider Q & A about Boston's Draft Options

Since some of you might not subscribe to ESPN Insider, I have copy and pasted the Celtics Draft Q & A from today.


Should Celtics trade No. 3 pick? If not, which player should they take?



Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton

The Boston Celtics hold the No. 3 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

Should they trade the pick? If so, which superstar could they get?

If they keep the pick, which top draft prospect should they take?

Let's examine their best options:




Should the Celtics trade the No. 3 pick?

Chad Ford: It's looking more and more likely that the Philadelphia 76ers will be selecting Ben Simmons at No. 1 and the Los Angeles Lakers will take Brandon Ingram at No. 2.

That leaves the Boston Celtics, with the third overall pick -- their first of eight total picks -- in the driver's seat for the remainder of the draft.
Team president Danny Ainge recently suggested that every option is on the table.

"We're not sure yet," he said. "We're not sure of the answer because there are some 22-year-olds that are more ready to play than some 19-year-olds, and we're looking at all of them. There's some foreign players and some American players, and we're looking at all of the above.

"We're trying right now very hard and we're looking at trade possibilities, so I don't have an answer for you in regard to that. We're working every day to try to figure out what player we're going to draft, or what player we're going to trade for or how we are going to use those picks."

Let's start with the possibility of a trade. I certainly think they should explore it. They are a 48-win team in search of a star to lead it. And if they keep the pick, I don't think they'll find that guy with the No. 3 pick

Don't get me wrong: There will be a very good player there for them. But a lead guy to build around? I don't really see it. So if they could get an All-Star-caliber guy in his mid-20s, I think that could be good value for the Celtics going forward.

I don't think a deal with Philadelphia for Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel is the answer. Kevin Love will be 28 years old before next season, so that's not the right answer, in my view (assuming he's even available).

DeMarcus Cousins is an intriguing option, although the Sacramento Kings haven't been willing to move him yet and don't appear to want more picks in place of established players. One deal that I would find intriguing for both sides? The No. 3 pick, Isaiah Thomas and Jonas Jerebko for Jimmy Butler.

Kevin Pelton: My guess is Ainge would love to trade the No. 3 pick for someone who can help solidify Boston as the biggest threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. Like you, I don't see that player.

Over the life of his rookie contract, the typical No. 3 pick would be worth about $27 million more than the contract, which would be equivalent to someone like Gordon Hayward ($26.5 million net value on current contract). But I don't see the incentive for the Utah Jazz -- or a team in a similar position -- to make that kind of trade.

And I think the No. 3 and Thomas ($36.6 million net value on his bargain contract) for Butler ($48 million) is a bit much.

If I were Ainge, I might call the Denver Nuggets about their centers Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic. If Denver doesn't believe they can play together, either would be an interesting prospect to add to the Celtics' frontcourt. Nurkic for the No. 3 in a down draft probably would be reasonable value. Jokic would surely require additional return.

If they Celtics keep the pick, whom should they take?

Ford: Given that assessment, I think they might just want to hang on to the pick. The question is, who is the right guy?

Four players really intrigue me here, assuming Simmons and Ingram are off the board: Dragan Bender, Jamal Murray, Kris Dunn and Marquese Chriss.

As a pure point guard, Dunn is probably an upgrade over what they have now. I love Marcus Smart, but he doesn't look like a point guard to me. I think he'll be better suited off the ball. And at 22, Dunn is the most NBA-ready of the prospects.

Murray's ability to play both backcourt positions is a bonus. And his terrific shooting, which seems to be the Celtics' priority, would be a major plus. Although Murray is young, I see him as an immediate-impact player, too.

The Celtics could really use an upgrade at power forward, and Bender and Chriss could each provide it down the road. Both are 18 and are two of the youngest players in the draft.

Bender is more skilled and maybe a little more ready. Chriss is a much better athlete and has a higher ceiling, if only he can reach it. But I wonder if the Celtics have the patience to develop such a young player given where they are today.

If they want to hit a home run, I think it's Bender or Chriss. If they just want to add to their current riches, it's Dunn or Murray.

I think the Celtics are leaning toward Dunn or Murray. But if it were me? I'd swing for the fences and grab Bender.

Pelton: We're on the same page here. The key point to me is that with Boston's cap space, future picks and history of finding undervalued players, filling out a rotation won't be an issue.

The Celtics need players who move the needle, and barring a surprising trade package, Bender is their best chance of getting that kind of player with this year's No. 3 pick.

The Chriss-Bender comparison is interesting because their strengths and weaknesses are broadly similar. Both struggled on the defensive glass last season but were high-percentage finishers in their respective leagues and can step outside.

A couple of things tilt my statistical projections in Bender's favor. He's a better playmaker and more comfortable from the perimeter. Bender made more 3-pointers in 406 minutes during the Israeli Basketball Super League regular season than Chriss did in 865 minutes at Washington. Add in that he's 4 months younger, and I feel Bender has more upside.

What should Boston do with its seven other picks?

Ford: The Celtics have the 16th, 23rd, 31st, 35th, 45th, 51st and 58th picks. Picks 16, 23, 31 and 35, in particular, represent potential rotation players, but the Celtics already have a roster of rotation players -- and enough cap space this summer to fill out remaining holes. And as Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge joked on Monday, the last thing in the world that Boston coach Brad Stevens wants is eight more rookies.

But I'm not sure that the picks have enormous trade value in a draft that is seen to have a lot of parity from picks 11 to 35, with a much stronger 2017 draft coming next year.

If the Celtics keep the picks, several interesting international players -- Furkan Korkmaz, Ante Zizic, Ivica Zubac, Juan Hernangomez and Guerschon Yabusele -- could be nice draft-and-stash prospects.

Pelton: The depth of the draft might work against Boston in the first round but should help the trade value of the second-round picks. I'd probably look to trade those because future second-rounders tend to have more value in terms of completing deals than players already in the league.

Beyond that, I agree the Celtics should be looking hard at what I think is a strong crop of international talent to get value for their picks without crowding existing players off the roster.


What about the Celtics' other two first-round picks?

Ford: Boston holds the No. 16 and No. 23 picks, as mentioned.

I'd use one of them on a young player with upside whom they could develop in the D-League. Thon Maker and Cheick Diallo both come to mind. Skal Labissiere is another strong candidate if he was to fall that far. Both Maker and Diallo have major upside but are several years away.

I'd use the other on an international player. I'm especially fond of Korkmaz, Zizic and Yabusele. All might be good picks who could become more valuable down the road.

Pelton: My big focus with the other first-round picks would be looking for the kind of players who could eventually help the Celtics in a playoff series. After Avery Bradley went down, Boston was badly lacking in two-way players against the Atlanta Hawks.

If he develops as we anticipate, someone like UNLV's Patrick McCaw could help in that kind of series as a defender who can also make plays with the ball and shoot the 3. So I'd look at McCaw at No. 23 and one of the intentional players at No. 16.

Nice article, and it makes me think of the many possible thoughts going through Ainge's mind.

He can make a trade up to get one of the first or second round picks.

He can sit at #3 and go through many candidates available

He can trade #3 along with some of his young players

He can trade #3 with some of the many other draft picks he has.

He can keep the #3 pick and then trade #16 and or #23 either to move up or down

He has five second round picks to either draft or trade.

He only has one unrestricted free agent and only two restricted free agents.

There are lots of trade possibilities

There are a bunch of free agents.

The man's head must be spinning and it is not even draft night yet.

I would absolutely love to see his flow chart with all that he could do.