Trade winds: Draft pick reset

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

As Thursday's trade deadline nears, a look at the future draft picks owned by the Boston Celtics. While draft picks hold no value in trades, they can be used to sweeten deals and might aid Boston in its quest to add depth to a depleted roster.

Yahoo! Sports reported Wednesday, via sources, that Celtics rookie first-round pick Fab Melo is available in the team's quest for additional guard help. The report suggested Boston may be looking to preserve its future picks. That makes sense after recent deals -- including this summer's three-team, sign-and-trade swap that brought Courtney Lee to Boston -- depleted Boston's previous abundance of second-round picks.

2013: 1 first-round pick (own); 0 second round
2014: 1 first-round pick (own); 2 second round (own, Brooklyn via MarShon Brooks trade)
2015: 1 first-round pick (own); 2 second round (own, Sacramento* via Sam Cassell trade)
2016: 1 first-round pick (own); 1 second round (own)
2017: 1 first-round pick (own); 2 second round (own, Sacramento* via Marquis Daniels trade)

* Top-55 protected; received only if pick is outside top 55.

Boston's second-round pick this year went to Portland as part of the Lee swap (another second-rounder it had obtained from Oklahoma City -- via Charlotte -- as part of compensation for Jeff Green missing the 2011-12 season, is actually back with Oklahoma City -- via Houston -- stemming form this summer's Lee and James Harden swaps).

With few low-cost assets available to trade (Boston isn't moving Avery Bradley or Jared Sullinger) in order to bolster this year's roster, Melo's name will invariably be linked to trade discussions if Boston seeks additional depth from another team's roster (which would be further indication of their lack of interest in what's available on the free-agent market at the moment).

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