The 2020 NBA Draft just under 2 weeks away. Now is about the time we start to hear about some trade rumors starting to make some noise on social media. That became the case today when it was reported that the Celtics are trying to trade up in the draft.
A Mock Draft from The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor stated that “The Celtics have offered there three first-round picks (nos. 14,26, and 30) in trades to try and move up, according to multiple league sources”. This is nothing out of the ordinary for Celtics fans. Danny Ainge is no stranger to using his picks as trade leverage.
In that same report, it was noted that he has had little to no interest in those picks. This is a little confusing because of the clouds that surround this draft class. There is no real clear best player and it seems like every prospect has a ways to go before they can be a legit contributor. With that being said there is some talent in this draft, most of it just needs time to develop and mature.
Let’s look into some trade ideas.
Trade 1
In this first scenario, I see the Celtics sending their picks over to the Knicks in return for their number 8 pick. There is no word on if the Knicks have an interest in shipping their pick out. I have a lot of doubt in them wanting to draft down in the first place but in this draft what do you have to lose? The Celtics, as mentioned earlier, have 3 picks in the first round of this draft. That is 3 chances to get a player that can have an impact on the Knicks.
If Knicks decide to send their pick to the Celtics it will be interesting to see what they do in the Draft. The Knicks have made it widely known that they are willing to be a dumping zone for large contracts. I’m not sure if they are expecting people to send them over their best max players by mistake or what but, you know, to each their own.
Whatever happens here I just hope that Dolan doesn’t mess it up. For the sake of the fans please just sell the team.
Trade 2
In this scenario, we see the rumors between Boston and Indiana finally come to fruition. Boston sends Picks 26,30,47 and Gordon Hayward to Indiana for Myles Turner and their 2021 first-round pick. This trade doesn’t let the Boston trade up but it gives them a pick for next year. Indiana has expressed heavy interest in the Celtics forward and Gordon is from the area.
The Celtics need to cut some spending and this is one of the best ways to do it. Gordon is on the books for $34 million next season. That is a lot but Hayward proves he’s worth the price. He averaged 18 points 7 rebounds and 4 assists last season. This fills a need for both teams and adds an insurance policy for the Celtics.
The way I see this working out for the Celtics is that they execute this Indiana trade. See if they can get a good guard in the draft this year at 14. Then they have a mid-level exception that they can use to sign a veteran. A vet would bring some experience and wisdom to this young team something that the Celtics could use.
If the Celtics are dead set on wanting a better draft pick then obviously a deal with Indiana will have to continue to be a rumor. It’ll be interesting to see how Danny moves now that the entire world knows that the Celtics are trying to trade up in the draft.
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