The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers finalized their trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick to the 76ers. The 76ers will receive the pick in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick, and either a 2018 first round pick that will be the Lakers pick if it falls between No. 2 and No. 5, or a 2019 first round pick held by either the Kings or the 76ers per reports from ESPN. The 76ers are expected to take Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick, but what does the rest of this trade mean for the draft and with the Paul George rumors?
Celtics hope the Lakers don't trade for George
Think about it this way. The Celtics will only receive the pick if it falls to the Lakers between selections No. 2 through No. 5. If the Lakers go out of their way to bring Paul George to the Lakers, the liklihood of L.A. being a top five pick slims down. Even a young team of D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and George could be a number nine or ten seed in the West.
This would then worsen the chance that the Lakers get a top five pick in next year's draft. All this would do is push Boston's first round draft pick to the 2019 draft. If the Lakers are as bad as they were this year, the Celtics could draft in the top three for a third consecutive year.
Jimmy Butler run is soon
The Celtics now have rights to seven first round Draft Picks over the next three years. This includes Brooklyn (2018), Memphis (2019, protected 1-8), and the Clippers (2019, 1-14) on top of their own first round selections. Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports also reported there is a chance that the Celtics will receive a 2021 first round pick.
The Bulls have no talent on their roster, and are facing a decision of a complete rebuild. They are limited in signing top talent to Chicago as they await with what Dwayne Wade will do with his payer option that could play him over $25 million. The Celtics could pull the trigger on some of these first round picks to bring Butler, one of the best two way players in the nbA, to Boston with a starting lineup that already features Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Al Horford.
76ers are now most interesting young core
The 76ers have been a bottom feeder in the league for years now, but could be very interesting for years to come. The 76ers have a rookie of the year contender, in Joel Embiid, a former number on selection in Ben Simmons who missed all of last year with a foot injury, and Fultz as the newcomer. They also have Jahlil Okafor, who was selected two years ago. This young core will finally give 76er fans something to talk about for years down the road.
