The Philadelphia 76ers now own the No. 1 overall pick and are expected to pick Washington playmaker pick Markelle Fultz in the 2017 Nba Draft on June 22. According to David Aldridge of TNT, the 76ers agreed to swap first-round picks with the Boston Celtics and the deal will be finalized Monday. The 76ers sent their No. 3 pick in the Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick, and a third future pick to the Celtics to seal the deal.
On Friday, reports emerged that the 76ers and the Celtics were negotiating about the possible swapping of their first-round picks.
The deal was anchored on the 76ers taking a look at Fultz in a private workout Saturday. With the deal now reached, the 76ers probably liked what they saw during Fultz’ workout.
With the deal, the Celtics now have an additional future first-round pick that they can use to trade for Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls. They also plan to use the No. 3 overall pick to take Josh Jackson from the 2017 NBA Draft. The Celtics are planning to beef up their roster to be able to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East. The Celtics made it to the playoffs as the No 1 seed in the East but were outclassed by LeBron James and the Cavs in the East Finals.
The Celtics decided to trade down and skip Fultz as they have already a court leader in All-Star playmaker Isaiah Thomas, whose MVP-like performance last season made the Celtics a force to reckon with in the East.
If they acquire Butler, the Celtics will have another option on offense to complement Thomas,
Joel Embiid, Dario Saric ask Fultz to trust the process
Before the trade was reported, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric fueled rumors by posting a photo of them in front of a locker with Fultz’s name on it with the caption “Trust The Process.” Fultz’s entry and the return of Ben Simmons will make the 76ers instant contenders in the East, especially with the emergence of Embiid and Saric as frontline presence last season for Philadelphia.
During a visit to a 76ers game last season, Fultz said he’s more than willing to be drafted by the 76ers.
Lakers also eyeing Fultz
The Lakers were also eyeing to move up to No. 1 after they were impressed by Fultz during their own workout. It was reported that the Lakers were planning to send the No. 2 overall pick and forward Julius Randle to the Celtics for the No. 1 pick. Earlier, the Lakers were reportedly sold on Lonzo Ball as the No. 2 overall pick but Fultz had them changing their minds days before the Draft.
