With just a few days until the 2017 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers completed a blockbuster trade that will shake up everything. It was rumored throughout the weekend, but the teams were able to work it out on Monday afternoon. With the trade, the number one overall pick has changed hands, and it is expected that Washington guard Markelle Fultz will be heading to play in Philadelphia.
As reported by ESPN , the trade completely changes up the top of the order in the NBA Draft:
- Boston Celtics receive 3rd overall pick in 2017 and a future pick
- Philadelphia 76ers receive 1st overall pick in 2017
For that future pick, Boston will receive, it will be the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick in 2018 if it lands between numbers 2-5. If not, the Celtics will receive the first-round pick of Philadelphia or the Sacramento Kings in 2019.
Danny Ainge, Celtics president of basketball operations, said on Monday that the organization could not be happier with the transaction.
“We’re thrilled to be able to select what we expect [to] be an impact player with the third pick in this year’s very talented draft class, while also adding a highly valuable future asset as we continue to build toward Banner 18.”
From this point, the 76ers pretty much know what they’re going to do on Thursday night with the first overall pick.
Philadelphia agrees to deal w/ Boston to secure No. 1 pick, clearing way to draft @MarkelleF . Story on @TheVertical . https://t.co/HtnIPgWxW4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 18, 2017
ESPN is also reporting that Boston has worked out Duke’s Jayson Tatum as a possible selection with the number three overall selection. Tatum had just one season in college where he averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
Of course, there is also the possibility that Boston could be loading up draft picks to make some other trade that will bring in a veteran player or two.
With a few days until the NBA Draft, a lot more moves could be made by numerous lottery teams. Even if they don’t before Thursday, there is bound to be a good bit of movement leading up to when each pick is made.
The 2017 NBA Draft was already looking to be extremely exciting with a great crop of talented players coming out of college and prepared to make their pro debuts. Now, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have made this huge trade which is going to put Markelle Fultz in a totally different place than originally expected.
[Featured Image by Christian Peterson/Getty Images]
