Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge is confident he'll get his way regardless of the recent trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, claiming he can get one of the players in the team's crosshairs with their newly-acquired No. 3 pick in this year's NBA Draft, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports.
Ainge is reportedly interested in Kansas small forward Josh Jackson and Duke forward Jayson Tatum, believing there isn't a huge difference in talent and potential from what they could have gotten with Washington standout Markelle Fultz.
“We feel unanimously this is the right move,” said Ainge. “I've learned patience in my aging process.”
The Celtics don't have any current needs at the guard position, but they do need a dynamic forward to step in and deliver.




Jackson is a well-rounded player with free-throw shooting woes, stands out on defense where he's more developed than other freshmen in the lottery.
Tatum, standing at 6-foot-8 just like Jackson, is a more athletic small forward with a 6-foot-11 wingspan that can block shots and get out in transition.
Ainge was able to poker-hand his way to getting three first-round picks by only going down two slots in the draft, once again proving that there's much more flexibility when a team isn't in need of talent.
The only real gap for the Celtics is at power forward, and they might be able to fill it one way or another, having traded for plenty of value for this year and others to come.