Boston Celtics Expected to Hold On to Nets Pick

The Boston Celtics have an unprecedented collection of assets that offer tremendous value in a trade. The Celtics have three first round draft picks including a potential top 3 pick from the Brook Nets. Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that it would take something tremendous for the Celtics to part ways with their most valuable asset.

The Celtics have been linked to the likes of Al Horford, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins. These players have the kind of talent that Danny Ainge has been searching for since he began the rebuild but if the Nets pick is needed to be a part of the trade I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a deal to get done.

The Celtics are in a truly unique position in the NBA right now. They are just a few years removed from the beginning of a complete rebuild but Brad Stevens has them at the number three seed in the East. The Celtics do not want to threaten the progress of their rebuild and the only way for the Celtics to go backwards would be in a bad trade. The Celtics have done a great job so far and have set themselves up to progress even faster with their draft picks.

If the Celtics stay where they are and do no trades that involve their key rotation players and that Nets pick then they will remain in their ideal position to rebuild. they have done a masterful job of building through the draft and Ainge has done an uncanny job of finding a diamond in the rough. Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas were both acquired though trades but neither of them involved the Celtics giving up something as significant as the Nets pick is expected to be.

The Celtics have plenty of minor pieces and later draft picks to continue to look for those young players that will contribute. The Celtics can still improve themselves at the trade deadline but they may opt to minimize their risk. In the meantime they will continue to develop the incredible collection of young talent and then they may be able to get that transcendent talent from within.

The Celtics have enough young players and a potential number one draft pick and if they find their superstar the old fashion way then they will be in their best possible position. Brad Stevens has never done anything to suggest that he will not get the absolute most out of any players he has on the court but he has buit something special with these Celtics.

They play as a complete team on both ends. They depend on each other on both ends of the court and the chemistry they are establishing is clearly making a difference. Every player on the Celtics plays with a level of intensity that is not found on all NBA teams. They play with the kind of ball movement and unselfish attitude on offense where every player is looking for the best possible opportunity. Then on the defensive end they truly feed off one another. The Celtics have the great on ball defenders that then put their great off ball defenders in positions to make a play.

The Celtics have finally settled into a rotation and that consistency has allowed them to jump up to number three in the eastern conference. While there is no reason to doubt that Stevens would get that superstar player to buy into the team system, there is always an additional risk. Even if trading the Nets pick will undoubtedly make the Celtics a more talented team right now, it may not make them a better team now, or in the future.

Then there is the issue of contracts. If the Celtics are trading that Nets pick then they will be getting back a player that has a massive contract that will tie them together for many expensive years or, as is the case with Horford, they may wind up giving up their most valuable asset for a rent a player. Without a guarantee that the player they are acquiring will be with them for an extended period of time, none of the players linked to the Celtics are worth that draft pick.

It may be frustrating to see the Celtics with such an unbelievable collection of assets and prospects even though that they do not have the room to use them all on their team. That, however, does not mean they should trade away their best. If anything, they would be wiser to package together their lesser assets and try to find another Crowder or Thomas, while also having a chance at a top three pick. The Celtics have enough assets where they can shelve that Nets pick and still go after a potential top player.

The only reason for the Celtics to trade away the Nets pick would be for immediate satisfaction. There certainly are players out there that would undoubtedly be worth giving up the Nets pick for but if Ainge does not get that ideal offer then there is no sense in rushing. The Celtics have been rebuilding so fast that fans may want the fastest route but Ainge and Stevens are doing something special with this team. They are rebuilding in a way that is setting them up for a long stretch of success

Right now, they can enjoy overachieving with an under talented team and the longer they do that the better position they will be in when they finally get that transcendent talent. The Celtics will have figured out which of their young prospects deserve a long term spot on the team and they will have a set of complimentary and role players that were hand picked and hand moulded by the man that is responsible for everything, Brad Stevens.

Next: The Boston Celtics Should Stay Away from Dwight Howard

Stevens has done everything to establish a level of trust where Ainge does not have to rush through things to help speed up the process. Right now, the process is working better than they could have imagined and the easiest way for them to regress would be to make the wrong decision in trading the Nets pick, arguably the most valuable asset the team has had since Brad Stevens took over and started the rebuild.