The Celtics are getting plenty of advice after landing the top pick in this year’s draft, but managing partner Wyc Grousbeck sounds like his decision is already made. Speaking with Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti in a video on CSNNE, Grousbeck said Boston will hold onto the selection “unless someone blows us away with an offer.”
“I think these picks are very, very valuable,” he said. “If you’re going to trade these picks for an established star making max, you’ve got to send max money out the door as well, so you’ve got to send more guys along, so this guy coming back had better be the second coming. What’s more, he’s going to be halfway through his career, whoever he is, and he’s going to be paid a lot of money, which restricts you in other ways.
“So if you can get a really good guy with this pick, you’ve got him, you can build with him, you can coach him up. You get to max money eventually, five to six years down the road, but it’s a totally different thing.”
There’s more out of Boston as the city prepares for the Eastern Conference finals and the No. 1 pick:
- Winning the lottery gives the Celtics more leverage if they decide to reopen trade talks with the Pacers or Bulls, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. When Boston inquired about Paul George before the trade deadline, the Pacers were asking for a package that included the pick, along with Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown. According to Greene, the Celtics refused to part with Crowder in any deal, which shut down the pursuit of George. Boston also had interest in Jimmy Butler, and there have been reports that those talks will resume this summer.
- President of basketball operations Danny Ainge is enjoying the rewards of his patience, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Ainge started the rebuilding process in 2013 by trading Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to the Nets for a package of draft picks that produced the No. 3 selection last year [Brown], the No. 1 this season and Brooklyn’s unprotected first-rounder in 2018. Ainge has resisted the temptation to part with those picks and is in the process of building a group of talented young players around his veteran core.
- Ainge plans to keep his options open between now and the draft, but he understands that his assets increased significantly Tuesday night, relays Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. “At the trade deadline we were trading away the possibility of the No. 1 pick, a 25 percent chance of the No. 1 pick, but that’s a 75 percent chance of not having that pick, and that’s how teams look at it, which is probably why we didn’t get a deal done,” Ainge said. “Now we have the No. 1 pick and we will explore the value of it.”
Grousbeck has it right in my opinion. Take one of these guards who should be a very strong player immediately but will have a supporting cast in Boston to reduce pressure. The already young core will continue to improve especially the likes of Brown and Smart.
If you part with one of these crazy packages for say a Paul George you’re stilling putting Paul against Lebron only PG wouldn’t have the same star power beside him nor is he anywhere near Lebron.
Draft Fultz, use his cheaper years to keep your strong core in place and hope that Lebron starts aging in the next couple seasons.
I’d be open to trading the 18 Nets pick, smart, Celtics first in 19, their two picks in the 50’s this year, and Bradley for George.
Why? He’s going to La! That’s where he wants to play
Not sold on that. If LAL isn’t ready to compete he might be ok with staying in Boston forming a big three with Thomas and maybe Hayward if they can wait on the George deal until after.
the draft is before free agency
Paul Pierce another player from LA that ended up in Boston and ended up loving the franchise. With everything said about George going to LA if a team traded for him even with all that buzz I think it’d show him they’re serious about competing. But like Ainge said it’s hard to come out on top trading young talent and a high pick for a star who is already mid-career and getting paid the max.
Thank god u aren’t the GM. If u play fantasy football, u would be welcome in our league. Fresh meat making juicy trades like that!
I see them packaging that pick for JB along with Rozier the 2018 nets swap pick and Brown . Then they go sign Heyward who is a great fit for them.
IT
JB
Heyward
Horford
olynk
Wow…..raz427 your ridiculous.
Say NO to drugs my man.
2018 pick is unprotected not a swap. They will haev atleast 2 1st rd picks next year
No way Bulls get both nets picks and Jaylen. Try next year’s nets pick, Smart, the Celtics 2nd rounder in the 30’s, and Olynyk (4/40) not sure how that works but maybe handshake deal that Boston won’t match when Chicago extends offer sheet if he isn’t tradeable.
i actually think thats a fair deal. id rather find a way to get this years pick for jimmy
I think it’s best that Celtics keep the pick and take Fultz. Then you can look at trading Bradley or Smart for another piece or two. Fultz and IT can play together and will be on a rookie contract compared to Bradley or Smart.
I should add that Smart will be looking for a big pay day after his rookie contract is up soon.
I agree with this. I wouldn’t trade for any player over 25. If all you can get is Butler or Paul George, forget it. Pick Fultz. But if you can get Davis or someone like that, trade the pick.
Also, if Brown could become 80% of what Butler is, it makes no sense to trade him. Develop him as the next layer to compete.
Any thoughts on the idea of signing Heyward and trading the #1 this year, smart, and a few 2nd round picks for a big guy say Drummond or faried to help fix the rebounding issue. Isiah will do his thing with heyward for the most part and either of those 2 guys down low to pick up the glaring hole down low?
That would be a really bad trade for Boston. Neither Drummond or Faried are worth anything close to the #1 overall pick
Then how about offering less or trading for maybe whiteside or dare to try for Anthony Davis
I wonder if Ainge can extract any value from the Lakers like SF did to CHI in the NFL draft via threatening to take Ball, or drumming up interest in the pick from other teams.