Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP
NEW YORK — The Celtics were not directly involved in the NBA Draft Lottery on Monday night, but the defending champions got plenty of good news with the results.
With plenty of promising teams in the mix this year due to trades and injury-riddled seasons, the Celtics’ future outlook among contenders could have been swung quite a bit with the results. Instead, the team got preferred results on several fronts. Let’s take a look at a few Celtics-themed takeaways from a shocking shake out of the picks.
Dallas Mavericks wins the Cooper Flagg derby: The Dallas Mavericks won the night by nabbing the No. 1 overall pick despite having 1.8 percent odds. which will certainly lead be selected on a consensus No. 1 overall pick in Cooper Flagg. There was about a 20 percent chance going in the selection could have landed with a team on a strong healthy roster already (Houston, San Antonio, Philadelphia) but the Celtics avoided that bullet. With Kyrie Irving likely sidelined already for next season in Dallas, it’s hard to see them shopping the pick in the trade outside of an all-in move for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Thunder don’t get a lottery pick from the Sixers: Oklahoma City was set to add another top-10 draft pick to their treasure trove of future selections that Sam Presti has put together over the several years if the Sixers had fallen out of the top-6. Instead, Philadelphia jumped up to the No. 3 overall pick. While that will strengthen the Sixers in the present, they are much farther away than the Thunder from being a true threat to the Celtics. Philadelphia does become an interesting offseason trade team now with an elite pick to shop around but with limited other roster assets, there isn’t much for them to move.
Teams at the top: Most of the teams in the top-4 of this year’s draft lottery, save the Hornets, all have already-solid rosters. They didn’t make the playoffs due to injuries or other reasons, but a top-4 pick gives them ammo in any potential trades. The Mavs are the clear stunner since they just traded Luka Doncic a couple months ago. Now, they’ll get to add Flagg with a roster that could be interesting next year. The Spurs and 76ers are also loaded with All-Star level talent, so getting a top-3 pick allows them flexibility and options.
Trade rumors already coming: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee is uncertain considering the state of its roster and all the early playoff exits. But a team like the Spurs, who now have the No. 2 overall pick, have already been rumored to be interested in the former MVP. Now that the lottery is set, there could be some more movement on the trade rumors for Antetokounmpo and other stars around the league. Monday was really just the beginning on that front.
