The Boston Celtics have the No. 16 pick in the NBA Draft, and there has been a lot of clutter to sort through as to their plans with the pick. Here are three rumors you need to know:
1) Boston To Trade Up In Draft For Willie Cauley-Stein?
The Boston Celtics are in dire need of rim protection either via the 2015 NBA Draft or July’s free agency period, and there’s a possibility that said need could prompt to trade up in June 25th’s draft in hopes of landing Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein.
Here’s ESPN’s Chad Ford with his thoughts:
They’re trying to move up. Charlotte is a great target as they could move back a few spots, get a shooter and another asset from the Celtics. I think Boston would love to get Cauley-Stein if he was there at 9. Or a wing like Hezonja or Winslow.
There have been murmurs regarding Boston’s willingness to trade up ever since draft picks were finalized, but there’s still no word just how far they’re aiming to go and who’ll be willing to work with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to get a deal done.
2) Trade For DeMarcus Cousins?
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Boston will try to trade for Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, thinking he’s the superstar they need to take them to the next level:
Will they open their war chest of future draft picks to try to pry DeMarcus Cousins away from Sacramento via trade? The early word out there is: Bank on it.
Will they be in the mix for pretty much any name player who unexpectedly comes available in coming months?
Bank on that, too.
The Celtics have an astonishing 24 picks between now and the 2019 draft, so look for them to give a plethora of them to try and land Cousins.
3) Myles Turner A Top Target?
Texas big man Myles Turner is expected to go late in the lottery, and according to RealGM, the Celtics are trying to put themselves in the mix for his services:
The Boston Celtics are actively attempting to trade up in next week's draft in order to select Myles Turner, according to multiple league sources.
The Celtics own the 16th overall pick in the draft and Turner is expected to be picked several slots earlier.
One of the Celtics' most pressing needs this offseason is a rim protector. Turner blocked 4.2 shots per 36 minutes in his freshman season at Texas.
The Celtics have one of the deepest collections of future draft assets in the entire NBA, with as many as four potential first rounders in 2016, which gives them considerable flexibility in attempting to move up.
Follow our Boston Celtics team page for all the latest Celtics news and rumors!
Back to the Boston Celtics Newsfeed