Vincent Goodwell, a Detroit Pistons beat writer for the Detroit News reported that the Celtics desperately wanted Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at the NBA Combine.

As of right now, the Charlotte Bobcats are trying to shop their first round pick. According to multiple sources, 5 teams have legit trade offers on the table for the Bobcats. Its unclear whether the Celtics are part of that discussion, but there are other teams with lottery picks who are open to trades.

If the Celtics can get a pick anywhere from 2 to 15, they could come away with a really good player. From this latest report, it seems like the Celtics are really interested in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and some draft analysts have said if he goes to a good team he could be like Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs.

With a lottery pick, the Celtics could also draft Thomas Robinson of Kansas or Andre Drummond of UCONN. I’ve also heard a lot from fans about the idea of getting Austin Rivers, son of Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers.

Personally, I don’t want him. Drafting another guard isn’t going to help the Celtics in any way, shape, or form. Rivers may be a great player, and even with the possibility of Ray Allen leaving, the Celtics already have Avery Bradley and have the option to pursue Jamal Crawford during free agency.

If Danny Ainge is lucky enough to get into the lottery, he has to take a small forward, power forward, or center. I’d be ecstatic if the Celtics somehow got Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but if we want to rebuild on the fly, taking Thomas Robinson is the way to go.

Robinson is the most NBA ready player in this year’s draft. He’s a game and franchise changer. He’s already good enough to lead a team, just imagine if he has the opportunity to learn from Pierce or Garnett. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is also a player that would benefit from being around veterans.

If Danny Ainge can get a deal for an early first round pick, and draft one of the top 5 or 10 players, that may entice Kevin Garnett to play for one more season and the team can over time transition from the Big 3 era to whatever is next for the storied franchise much more smoothly.

Katz also reported that the Celtics possibly want Jared Cunningham if they can get that third pick.

“Jared Cunningham has become a coveted player at the back end of the first round to early second. The former Oregon State guard shut down his workouts but was in Atlanta for an interview Tuesday. Atlanta, Charlotte and Golden State have a lot of interest. But so too does Boston and the Celtics even have interest in acquiring an third first-round pick to possibly get Cunningham.”

Cunningham is a 6’5″ shooting guard who averaged 17.7 ppg in his junior year.

If this rumor is true, it will be very interesting to see how the Celtics plan to get this pick. Its also worth noting that Cunningham is a shooting guard and the Celtics have already expressed interest in Jamal Crawford.

Is it possible that the Celtics may decide to trade Avery Bradley, or move him to the point guard position? Are they already anticipating Ray Allen signing somewhere else, like the Miami Heat? These questions were the first things that came to my mind when I first read this rumor.

Currently, Cunningham is being projected in most mock drafts to be selected somewhere early in the second round. Danny Ainge is the type of person who is willing to take risks, and maybe he feels that Cunningham will be taken by some team before the end of the first round.

From what I hear, Cunningham is an athletic player who has a lot of potential on the offensive end. He’s good at taking the ball to the basket, is an effective scorer, can grab offensive rebounds, and can move well without the ball just like Ray Allen has done is entire career.

Cunningham is purely a shooting guard, but can play both guard positions, so he’s not a tweener. Seems like in the past, Ainge has always drafted players who don’t have a defined position at guard like Gabe Pruitt, Lester Hudson, and Avery Bradley.

This is going to be an exciting draft. We’re going to hear rumors for the next 24 hours, but I honestly believe the Celtics will acquire a third pick. This year’s draft is so deep, having more than one pick, is definitely a wise move, especially for a team that could possibly be heading into a rebuilding period.

Yesterday, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reported that the Celtics were indeed interested in Barnes, and they got to see him for a second time when they were down in Miami for the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics also got a look at Terrance Ross, a 6’7″ shooting guard/small forward from Washington.

Ross is currently projected to go in the mid-teens of the first round. The Houston Rockets hold the 14th, 16th, and 18th picks, and it has been rumored that both the Celtics and Rockets are in some sort of trade discussions.

Barnes on the other hand, is a lock at the lottery picks. For the Celtics to move up that many spots, they’ll probably have to give up one of their first round picks, along with a player or two.

Both players can play at the small forward position, but Terrance Ross is primarily a shooting guard.

In his sophomore year, Ross averaged 16.4 ppg and 6.5 rebounds. One thing that concerns me about him is that he is only a 37% shooter from the 3 point line. Usually shooting guards are decent 3 point shooters, but for Ross, he can score from different areas on the court.

From what I can gather from this rumor, the Celtics probably won’t trade up to draft both Barnes and Ross unless they play them at two different positions. Barnes could play either power forward or small forward, while Ross could always play at shooting guard.

They both sound like very intriguing prospects, and they have a lot of potential. It makes me  think that maybe they will be Pierce and Ray Allen’s replacements.

One thing the Celtics still need to answer is their lack of size. Seeing that the Celtics will have to trade up for either player, maybe they could get a big man in return.

Draft night is certainly going to be interesting. The Celtics could be very busy Thursday night, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make multiple trades before the last pick has been selected.