With Markelle Fultz the Boston Celtics Should Go All In
By John Eyler
NBA Teams will dump games in the regular season all for the hope of getting the top pick. It is a big deal. The Celtics won’t trade it away.
So the Boston Celtics have the first overall pick in a draft many say is a strong one. Most also agree that Markelle Fultz is the undisputed head of the class. There is a chance this kid can become a transformative star. You just don’t trade away this kind of potential. You have to go all in.
He is the type of talent a team can build around. This is where things get a little murky for the Celtics. You have to give this kid his shot. That means you have to give him serious minutes. That’s how he will evolve into a superstar. That won’t happen if he’s on the bench. That means at least two of the Celtics current backcourt players need to go.
Which two will go will be a matter of how much you can get for who. That’s a complete unknown. The one caveat would be that you must keep either Avery Bradley or Marcus Smart because they are defensive anchors.
The best possible outcome for the Celtics would be to trade a guard or two and some draft picks for a big they believe in. As we all know the Celtics really need rebounding. Building for the future with Fultz and Jaylen Brown seems sensible. Most rebuilding teams would feel quite optimistic having two such stellar talents to build around. However, the Celtics are in a different position.
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They won the eastern conference this year in the regular season. Is the organization willing to win a few fewer games next season on the idea of developing it’s young talent. Add Ante Zizic to the mix. If you are going to give the kids the minutes they need you will have to accept that they will not win as many games as this year’s team did. What will Al Horford think of this?
At the very least you keep two of your current backcourt players. You probably retain Isaiah Thomas. You keep Jae Crowder and you add a big through a trade or free agency and then go forward. This is the most likely and probably the best scenario going forward. The idea that the Celtics should go for Gordon Hayward or Paul George or Jimmy Butler is far fetched. Utah will pay any price to keep Hayward, George wants to move to L.A. and Butler, well he’s not the answer. Better to give those minutes to Brown.
Now of course there is a chance that trader Danny Ainge will pull off some thrilling deal and Hayward and Anthony Davis will be Celtics next year. The odds of that are really slim, but not completely impossible. If he can pull that off with cap space and a big trade then who needs rookies. That’s a really big if.
What’s more certain is that the Celtics have in their possession some outstanding young talent. They have the ability to develop these kids and remain competitive. If these kids work out as projected then there are banners in the future. That and they still have high picks coming!
Next: Front Court: Youth or Free Agency?
Markelle Fultz is the choice. Unless the Celtics see something everyone else has missed he will be the first overall pick. He will be a Celtic. The Celtics have to go all in with him.