The Boston Celtics earlier this week had the huge fortune of landing the No.1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, which has put them in the position to take one of the top players in this year's draft class.
However, recently retired NBA player and former longtime Celtic, Paul Pierce, stated on Wednesday during an appearance on ESPN's NBA The Jump that he believes Boston should heavily consider trading the selection in hopes of acquiring veteran help.
“If you are talking about getting a LeBron, A Shaq, or Tim Duncan, then okay. You're getting Markelle Fultz. Now you trade this pick because he cannot help the Celtics get over the top. The window is now. You are a 50-win team and the No.1 seed. You have to build on this momentum. If you can acquire a Paul George, Jimmy Butler, or Gordon [Hayward] from Utah then you have to do it.
“I would persuade Gordon to sign as a free agent. You don't have to trade for him. Then now you have the No.1 pick to go out and acquire Jimmy Butler or Paul George. You go for it. Boston doesn't praise winning the Eastern Conference. They're going for a championship.”
Boston is reportedly already considering going this route with their top selection with eyes toward acquiring another player that can put them over the hump in the Eastern Conference. The blowout loss in Game 1 at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers made it glaringly obvious that the Celtics are not yet a championship contender.
To Pierce's point, Boston is built to compete right now with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford being at the forefront. The addition of another high-impact player such as Jimmy Butler or Paul George would go a long ways in closing the gap with the Cavaliers.
There were numerous reports prior to the trade deadline in February that the Celtics were in talks to acquire George, but that broke down due to general manager Danny Ainge unwilling to give up his draft pick in any deal. As for Butler, those trade conversations stem further back to last offseason when the Chicago Bulls were considering moving their star forward.
That said, the possible pursuit of Gordon Hayward in the free-agent market could help streamline their push to making a move to acquire a player like George or Butler. Ultimately, if the Celtics want to maximize the window with their current roster, then trading the pick should become something they heavily consider.
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