The Boston Celtics secured the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft after Tuesday night's lottery, and while it doesn't put them in position to draft either Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons, it does give them plenty of intriguing options to improve their team. Will they keep the pick, or will they trade it? Here's all the latest Celtics draft rumors you need to know:
Celtics to trade pick to Bulls for Jimmy Butler?
Team president Danny Ainge plans to explore all options with the No. 3 pick, including trading it for a star player. One of Boston's biggest targets is Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler, who Chicago has made available to trade this offseason. However, The Vertical's Chris Mannix said it's going to take more than just that one pick to acquire Butler:
“If Boston does want to get in the mix for one of the premier players that could be available on the trade market, there is going to be a very rich price. It’s going to be that No. 3 overall pick plus a couple of extra players that are going to make it unpalatable for the Celtics to want to swallow that type of deal.”
Expect Boston to also pursue a deal for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, though new Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger wants to keep him.
Boston targeting Dragan Bender?
If the Celtics keep the pick, the will be deciding between Kentucky's Jamal Murray, Providence's Kris Dunn, Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and Dragan Bender of Croatia. Though the first three names are much more well-known, David Pick says they could be favoring Bender:
Both Celtics, Suns saw Dragan Bender LIVE in Israel. Boston love him, Phoenix have strong ties with Croatia-born scout.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) May 18, 2016
If that's the case, Ainge isn't tipping his hand. He says they're still evaluating all of those prospects - and that there's still a long way to go.
“Last year at this time I think everybody saw that and it sort of changed between what everybody thought at this time and what happened in the draft, so it’s still too early. There’s still a lot of evaluation.
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