In some huge breaking NBA news, the Boston Celtics have agreed to trade away their first overall pick in the 2017 Nba Draft just days before the actual draft takes place. The Philadelphia 76ers will swap their third pick in the NBA Draft with Boston's first overall pick and the Celtics will also get a package of other 76ers picks as well in the trade. With that first pick, the 76ers will draft Washington Huskies' guard Markelle Fultz.
Why did the 76ers make this trade?
Moving up two spots in the 2017 NBA Draft seems a bit strange for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Chicago Bears did the exact same thing in the NFL Draft when they moved up one spot to draft Mitchell Trubisky. That trade was blasted by NFL Draft experts since Trubisky is not a sure thing that will help the Bears. However, Markelle Fultz is a true franchise player that will help mold the face of the 76ers for years to come.
The Bears also could have gotten Trubisky if they had sat pat and kept their picks. The Los Angeles Lakers made hints over the past few days that they might be leaning towards Markelle Fultz over Lonzo Ball, who most fans expected them to draft. If the Boston Celtics had passed on Fultz to draft Josh Jackson, the Lakers could have taken Fultz with the second pick leaving the Philadelphia 76ers scrambling with their third overall pick.
What will this do to the 2017 NBA Draft?
The biggest question now is whether or not the Los Angeles Lakers will draft Lonzo Ball. The Philadelphia 76ers are already working on a deal right now with Markelle Fultz and that pick is set in stone. This is a small gamble by the Boston Celtics, who are hoping to still get Josh Jackson with the third overall pick but that will only happen if the Lakers go with Lonzo Ball.
The Boston Celtics are in the best position of all three teams heading into the 2017 NBA Draft. The Celtics shocked the NBA when they finished the season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, over even the Cleveland Cavaliers. They were a lottery team based on trades and winning the first overall pick was the rich getting richer.
However, the Philadelphia 76ers finished with a 28-54 record, as their years of futility continued. The Los Angeles Lakers finished with a worse record than that, at 26-56. Both teams need help, the Lakers more than the 76ers. While Philadelphia had another bad record, Markelle Fultz will join last year's top overall NBA Draft pick Ben Simmons for what looks to be a vastly improved roster.
