Celtics Struggling To Shop No. 3 Pick; Kris Dunn An Option?

NESN

by Darren Hartwell on Tue, Jun 21, 2016 at 9:39AM

With the 2016 NBA Draft just days away, the rumor mill is turning, and much of the chatter has been about what the Boston Celtics will do with the No. 3 overall pick. The Celtics reportedly are trying to trade their top first-round selection and appear to have a few targets in mind, but finding a willing trade partner might be easier said than done, according to ESPN’s Ryen Russillo.

Of course, Russillo’s report could be the result of NBA general managers trying to drive down the Celtics’ price tag for their No. 3 pick. It does have some validity, though, as Boston boasts several solid complementary players like Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart, but no true star outside of point guard Isaiah Thomas.

Still, the Celtics’ supposed lack of strong assets won’t stop them from doing everything in their power to try to move the pick, according to ESPN Insider Chad Ford. “The Celtics’ preferred choice is to trade the pick,” Ford wrote in a recent ESPN.com mock draft. “If they can find a partner willing to take a package of the No. 3 pick plus other assets in return for a young All-Star, they’ll make the deal. If they are forced to keep the pick, it’s much harder to tell which direction they’re leaning.”

If the C’s wind up keeping the pick, both Ford and fellow ESPN Insider Jay Bilas have them taking Providence College point guard Kris Dunn. “Dunn is the third-best prospect in this draft,” Bilas writes. “He is long-armed, very athletic and an elite defender who gets steals and impacts the game without scoring. … Dunn has star potential as a big point guard.”

112288

With it seeming that all of the top level guys (one through about eight) have at least one major flaw it may be impossible to determine before the draft which guys will later be the first guy to make a larger contribution to his team.  Even Simmons and Ingram seem to have something wrong with them with Simmons not having a good outside shot and Ingram being too skinny and not strong enough yet.

The guys after those two have at least one large flaw as well as some sort of other weaker area(s) to their games  (such as Heild's lack of positional versatility and Bender needing to grow into his body) so picking the right/best one for your team could stem from a lot of calculated guessing.

This is the reason why trading the pick for an established player already in the league is such a good idea.  Trading for such a guy also much better fits what I think is the post Garnett/Pierce rebuilding time plans.  Not likely that whomever the third pick is will make much of a contribution to banner # 18 until his third season (perhaps in his second season?).

The Cs are going to have to have some serious roster turnover after the 2018 season as both Bradley and Thomas will be free agents and likely looking for max contracts so I am hoping that the 2018 season is the year that we can get to the finals.  If they can find a way to get Cousins he will also be a free agent at the same time as Bradley and Thomas.  If they get Noel he will be a restricted free agent after next season I believe.  Crowder is signed through 2019 and so likely will be any free agents signed this summer or next summer.  Smart will be finished with his rookie contract after 2017, but that does not mean that he cannot be resigned.  All three of last year's rookies will finish their rookie contracts at the end of the 2018 season as well.