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Last week, rumors started to float that the Boston Celtics are willing to deal one of their rising stars if it meant moving up high enough in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft to snag Texas Longhorns product Mo Bamba, who is considered as one of the best big men in the pool, per Sean Deveney of Sporting News.
The Celtics have the No. 27 pick, but they have multiple assets on hand that could help them move into the top five of the draft, where the Grizzlies (No. 4) and Mavericks (No. 5) have made it clear they’re willing to make a deal.
Among the teams rumored to be Boston’s trade partner are the Dallas Mavericks, who own the No. 5 overall pick. This has garnered some steam online with Twitter users reacting to the trade speculation. However, the Mavs are not expected to accept such a deal. According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, should the Celtics offer Jaylen Brown to Dallas for its No. 5 pick, the Mavs are very much likely to reject and counter it by asking for a different high-ceiling youngster in Jayson Tatum.
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It’s true that the team would likely counter with Tatum, I’m told by a Mavericks source, since they would be “unlikely to do the Brown deal in any scenario.” For Dallas, their draft day decisions will depend heavily on who falls to that No. 5 spot, since they like a number of prospects in the 3-to-8 range. But that deal even being offered is a huge leap from what has thus far been reported.
Boston impressively managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to hilt before getting eliminated in Game 7. The Celtics are looking to fortify their frontcourt, which explains why they are interested in Bamba, a physical freak who has the tools to become a dominant center in the NBA.
As for the Mavericks, they are hoping the upcoming draft would give them another solid player who could help them right their ship after finishing with a losing record in each of the last three seasons.
