The Celtics aren’t landing Anthony Davis, but trade winds are still blowing out of Boston.
With three first round draft picks in Thursday’s draft (No. 14, No. 20 and No. 22), Danny Ainge likely won’t use all of them – which makes the Celtics one of the more likely teams to swing a deal in the next 24 hours or so.
“Boston has a lot of options,” ESPN NBA reported Adrian Wojnarowski said Monday night. “Again, three picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft. I’m told that they don’t want to have three rookies on the team. You can expect one, maybe two of those picks somewhere else.”
Not coincidentally, one of those trade partners could be New Orleans. New Pelicans GM David Griffin has indicated that he is set to flip the No. 4 pick he received from the Lakers in the Davis trade. Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland is the player being selected most at the No. 4 spot in most mock drafts and the Celtics are said to be a fan of his.
The Celtics are also high on incumbent Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday and there have been murmurs that Holiday could be dealt despite him coming off a career season.
“They’re sniffing around on [Holiday], though if I were them, I wouldn’t have any sense of urgency to make a reactive move,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on his podcast.
As for which players in the actual draft that the Celtics like, here are a few that there has been buzz on.
Brandon Clarke, PF, Gonzaga: Clarke is no project and plays like a veteran. He could be a key role player on the Celtics as soon as next season.
Kevin Porter, SF, USC: Porter has outstanding upside as he is still just 18-years-old. He models his game after James Harden and you can see it as he has a strong step-back jumper. Porter’s decision-making when shooting and passing was often an issue in his lone season at USC, however.
Bol Bol, C, Oregon: Ainge played against Bol’s father, Manute, and there have been hints in recent months that the Celtics’ boss likes the big man’s game. Bol Bol is 7-foot-2 but can drain the outside shot. His best-case scenario comp in regards to his game is Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis.
