Skip to main content

N.B.A. Draft Lottery: Celtics, Already No. 1 in the East, Add Pick No. 1 - The New York Times

posted onMay 17, 2017
>

Article snippet: When the N.B.A. draft pick Tuesday night, the owner Wyc Grousbeck did not celebrate wildly or pump a fist. Boston had just claimed one of the most prized assets in the league, yet Grousbeck remained calm. The team’s fortunes were already among the highest in the N.B.A., and the pick was just the latest coup. In 2013, the Celtics traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets for a bounty of first-round picks as Boston chose the future over its aging present. While the Nets hoped to turn into instant contenders, Boston had to wait its turn. That deal has already paid off — the Celtics received the third overall pick from the Nets last year — and the riches have only continued to pile up. With the top selection in next month’s draft, the result of a pick swap with the Nets made possible by that 2013 trade, the Celtics will get their pick of a guard-heavy bunch. Markelle Fultz, the presumptive top pick, out of Washington, is theirs if they want him, although point guard Lonzo Ball of U.C.L.A. could be a tempting option. Whomever they choose, the Celtics will be adding to a team that won 53 games in the regular season and is set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. “It’s a good time to be a Celtics fan,” Grousbeck said. “I wish the draft were today. We could get a little help for tomorrow night.” The 76ers as a result of a Philadelphia trade with Phoenix two years ago. When the league’s deputy commissioner, ... Link to the full article to read more

Emotional score for this article