The Latest Celtics Draft News and Rumors 6/8/12

With the Celtics just one win away from the Finals, or having their championship run come to an end, some may argue to say that its a bit too early to talk about the NBA draft. But due to the lockout shortened NBA season, the playoffs have been scheduled a week later than in non-lockout seasons. If this was a normal season, the Finals would have started last week.

Seeing that no matter what happens to the Celtics in these playoffs, the rebuilding period is inevitable. The window of opportunity closes for good on the Big 3 era when this season ends, whether that be by elimination or winning a championship.

For the first time in 5 years, this is going to be the most important draft for the Celtics. So without any further delay, here is whats happening on the NBA draft front for Boston

The Pre-Draft Workouts

As of today, only Draymond Green and Fab Melo have worked out for the Celtics. Currently both Green and Melo are projected to go late in the 1st round and the Celtics hold the 21st and 22nd picks.

In the upcoming weeks leading to the draft, I will be posting articles on possible draft prospects for the Celtics. Seeing that Danny Ainge has some interest in Fab Melo, he will probably be the next player that I will write about.

Celtics Draft Rumors

According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports and Fox Sports Ohio, the Celtics are looking to trade up in this year’s draft. Amico said there is no specific player that they are looking to trade for, but they do have a lot of interest in Jared Sullinger.

Sullinger, a 6’9″ power forward from Ohio State would definitely be a player worth taking. He’s a rebounder and is a good inside presence, something that the Celtics don’t have right now. Clearly, drafting a big man in this draft has to be a number one priority, and trading one or two of their draft picks to get a more NBA ready player would be a great move.

Another player that seems to be getting interest from the Celtics is UCONN center/power forward Andre Drummond.

According to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports, the Spurs and Celtics are teams from outside the lottery that have interest in Drummond.

If the Celtics can pull off some trade for Drummond, that would be huge. According to NBAdraft.net, he’s being compared to Amar’e Stoudemire at his best, and DeAndre Jordan at his worst. I’d take either of his potentials. Like I said before, the Celtics don’t have an inside presence who can rebound and play tight interior defense other than Kevin Garnett.

While Drummond will be a project, I think he will be worth the time and effort. Trying to find a decent big man who can rebound and just be a force in the paint both offensively and defensively is hard. If Drummond works hard and can stay motivated, he could turn into a really good basketball player.

As we inch closer to the NBA draft, there will probably many more rumors and speculations surrounding the Boston Celtics. I will keep all you guys up to date, if any news should surface.