The Boston Celtics own three first-round draft picks this season, and one of them is a lottery pick at No. 14 courtesy of the Sacramento Kings. But should the Celtics even use that draft pick? Or should they trade it?
Boston had a very disappointing season, winning just 49 games and losing in the second round of the playoffs when many had the team penciled in for at least 55 wins and an NBA Finals appearance.
While the Celtics are still very young, they are a win-now group, as they are just a year removed from pushing LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals sans Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
Taking all of that into consideration, here are three reasons the Celtics should trade the No. 14 overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft.
3. The Draft Isn't Very Deep
While calling the 2019 NBA Draft a “three-player draft” may be a bit of an exaggeration (there are some diamonds in the rough), it is indicative of the fact that this draft class is not very deep.
Sure, you have Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and R.J. Barrett, but once you get past that point, it gets very murky, and at No. 14 overall, there is a chance that the guy you draft might not even last more than a couple of years in the NBA.
For a Celtics team that is trying to win now, it would behoove them to not take the risk of hoping whomever they draft at that spot works out and instead just trade the pick for an established talent.
Of course, there is always the chance Boston pulls a solid rotation player at No. 14, but at this point, the C's are probably better off going for the sure thing.
2. Kyrie Irving Obviously Wants More Veterans
Let's for a second assume that Kyrie Irving ends up staying in Boston, which remains a distinct possibility.
It seemed blatantly obvious throughout the year that Irving was not too enthralled with the amount of youngsters on the Celtics' roster, as Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier in particular seemed to get on his nerves.
Throughout the season, Irving leaned on veterans like Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris, and Hayward, and he has made it pretty clear that he prefers playing with guys who have experience.
So, if Kyrie does end up re-signing, would throwing another young guy on to the roster be the best idea for chemistry?
In that case, it would be wise for the C's to trade the pick for a veteran who can come in and provide some leadership to a Celtics' locker room that was apparently starving for it all season.
1. Anthony Davis
That brings us to the biggest fish of all: Anthony Davis.
In order for the Celtics to land Davis, they would almost certainly have to trade the 14th overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in any deal for the superstar, so it's more than likely that Danny Ainge already has this in his mind anyway.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure Boston has ever intended to actually use that Kings pick on a college player, as Ainge has had Davis in his sights for quite some time and definitely knew that the Sacramento pick would have to be included in the trade.
Based on recent reports, the Pelicans prefer the Celtics as a trading partner above any other team, and it's pretty much a guarantee that the No. 14 selection will be a part of that seemingly inevitable trade proposal.
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