Jones: Will Celtics Move Up In Draft Or Trade For Veteran?
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics are expected to be pretty busy on Thursday night at the NBA Draft.
But even just a few days away from the draft, no one really knows what Danny Ainge has up his sleeves. He's made it pretty clear he doesn't intend to use all four of Boston's selections (two in the first-round, two in the second-round), so a trade is all but certain. But will that be a trade to move up in the draft, or a trade to acquire a veteran to add to Boston's young roster?
Mass Live's Jay King joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's The Adam Jones Show on Tuesday night, and thinks Ainge will get his wish and land a top 10 pick on Thursday night.
"I think they'll move up into the top 10 somewhere; I don't think they can get up too high but somewhere into the top 10," said King. "They would probably target Willie Cauley-Stein, a rim protector, a versatile defender like Justice Winslow or a shooter like Mario Hezonja. I do think there is a bit of a drop off after that, which is why they're so interested in moving up."
There is always the chance that rather than depending on the development of young players, Ainge cashes in on all those picks and prospects and trades for a veteran player. The Sacramento Kings reportedly want to move on from center DeMarcus Cousins, and while the Celtics may not have the assets to get a deal done, expect Ainge to try his hardest to get the talented (but sometimes frustrating) big man to Boston.
"If you could get Cousins, you have to look into that. Cousins was second team All-NBA, but he has to be a knucklehead for them to want to trade him," said King. "He had such a good year on a bad team, and is really their only piece."
If the Celtics strike out on Cousins, King said they'll do their best to use their $30 million in cap space in free agency this summer.
"Ainge has said they'll target anyone who will upgrade their roster, and there are a lot of guys who could do that," he said. "It will take a lot to lure the top guys, guys like [Marc] Gasol and [LaMarcus] Aldridge. They might not go anywhere, and if they do, they might go somewhere else. But I think they'll be very active with those guys, and then the second tier also if they whiff on those guys.
While the second tier free agents may not be the blockbuster names fans are hoping for, there are certainly players that can help improve the team next season.
"I don't know how realistic they are, but guys like Khris Middleton, Tobias Harris, DeMarre Carroll – all those guys fit what the Celtics are trying to do. They're versatile and can do a lot of things. They would help with Boston's switching defense," said King.
No matter what they do Thursday night, the expectations for the Celtics is guaranteed to go up for next season.
"This is a team who won 40 games and are really young. They're on the rise, and if they could add someone to upgrade the roster they could win 45 games next year," said King, "Even if they don't get that top draft pick or top-tier free agent."
Listen to Jones' full chat with Jay King below:
