The Boston Celtics have a chance to bundle draft picks in an attempt to move up in the lottery. Here are two Houdini-approved ways they can do so.
First things first–and this is difficult as a Boston Celtics site to say–but congratulations are in order for the Los Angeles Lakers and our FanSided sister site Lake Show Life for winning the 2020 NBA Championship from the Lake Buena Vista bubble in Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports campus.
Now, for an even tougher concession…congrats to the Lakers for also tying the Cs for the most NBA Championships in the history of the league. For the first time since 1963, Boston is no longer the sole host of the winningest team in NBA history.
The historical ramifications are vast from a team standpoint, but it also adds value to the ascending legacies of several Lakers like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo.
James adds the fourth ring on a third team. Davis puts in a legitimate bid to be named a top-5 player in the league. Howard proves his locker room presence could be positive on a winner. Rondo proved he still is playoff Rondo when he wants to be.
The Miami Heat played well, and the Boston Celtics would have likely put up just as much of a fight, but the Lakers have seemed like a team of destiny for quite some time.
Our job here is to figure out how the Cs can be that aforementioned team of destiny in the future. With a future shift to building the team around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, what deals could be made to save money and add depth via moving up in the NBA Draft?
Here are 2 Houdini-approved swaps:
Swapping picks with the Knicks
While players are involved too, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics will have their picks–six apart in the 2020 NBA Draft–serve as the impetus for a swap. The Cs would look to make their way inside the top ten via a five-piece deal with the Knicks.
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley broke down what the Cs would see value in regarding this deal:
"New York might find a willing trade partner in Boston, which needs to consolidate with more first-round picks in 2020 (three) than roster openings. This takes the Celtics into the top 10, plus gives them a physical presence in Taj Gibson, who might provide more resistance should they encounter Bam Adebayo (or Joel Embiid) in next year’s postseason."
Taj Gibson would be a nice veteran in a younger locker room, and the hope is that whatever talent they can find at #8 is worth the giving up two consecutive years of the #14 picks for.
Why the New York Knicks do it
The New York Knicks could use a reclamation project like Romeo Langford who can rehabilitate his image as a good backup. The #14 pick is not a far drop-off from the #8 and it certainly is worth taking on the extra pick in Langford.
Enes Kanter returning to Mecca is an added bonus. Perhaps he can wrestle in WWE after winning the 24/7 title at MSG while wearing a Celtics jersey last year.
A simpler San Antonio swap
In recent days, we’ve seen the Boston Celtics intertwined with another trade idea with the San Antonio Spurs that saw the likes of Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter shipped off in exchange for Dejounte Murray, LaMarcus Aldridge, and their number 11 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Here, we propose a much simpler exchange for the only real valuable asset for the team from that proposal in their draft selection.
Why the Boston Celtics do it
There are reasons to believe that the Celtics might want to strongly consider moving up in the 2020 NBA Draft. Be it Danny Ainge’s lackadaisical track record with later draft picks — such as the ones he currently holds the rights to — or to increase their chances of nabbing a prospect that they likely would miss out on should they stay at pick 14 — Onyeka Okongwu, Aaron Nesmith, Saddiq Bey, etc. — receiving a higher selection in this relatively shallow talent pool could wind up landing the team a real difference-maker in the long run.
Why the San Antonio Spurs do it
Caught between a rebuild and still competing for a spot in the postseason, the San Antonio Spurs could use for some young, cost-efficient ballers to fill out the roster alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, should he re-sign this offseason.
Going back three spots doesn’t hurt the Spurs too much, especially when it means acquiring the draft rights to another first-round pick and last year’s lottery-pick for the Cs in Romeo Langford who, despite an injury-riddled season, showed promise as a quality role player, specifically on the defensive side of the ball.