Will the Boston Celtics shock the world and find a way to trade up?
By Josh Hill
A major talking point heading into the NBA Draft is whether or not the Boston Celtics will trade up.
Whether you like them or not, it’s impossible to not stand in awe of Boston Celtics fans. Few NBA teams have the kind of support the Celtics do, and no matter what time of year it is, fans always have winning on their minds.
Heading into Thursday’s NBA Draft, a major topic of debate is whether or not the Boston Celtics will trade up. Specifically, will the Celtics trade up into the Top 5 to draft someone like Mo Bamba or Michael Porter Jr.
Keep in mind, the Celtics have the 27th pick in the draft. To move that far up would require a special kind of trade aerobatics. Danny Ainge has proven in the past that he’s the kind of guy that can pull off such a deal, which is why the rumor Boston is eyeing a trade up holds water.
The cherry on top is Terry Rozier being mentioned as a key piece. That’s validation for Celtics fans who believe the team could acquire the ghost of Wilt Chamberlain in exchange for Rozier.
Should the Celtics trade up, as Jared Weiss from The Athletic speculated early on Thursday, Luka Doncic is a prime target. The idea of the Celtics making it to the Conference Finals and following that up by drafting a potential superstar in Doncic is unfair. But it’s the type of situation Ainge is going to be tempted by to complete his own process.
Adding Mo Bamba or Jaren Jackson to Boston’s young core is also enticing. It’s going to take a lot to make happen, though, perhaps too much. Rozier is great but he’s not worth a Top 5 pick. The Celtics are great but don’t have the trade capital they once had, at least not without the risk of taking a step back.
Things happen fast on Draft Day, but Boston trading up from the bottom of the first-round to the very top is a little too wild to believe.