The Celtics had the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft and they used the selection to nab University of California’s Jaylen Brown. GM Danny Ainge wanted to acquire another lottery selection in addition to the team’s top-3 pick and he dangled everyone on the team in trade discussions, including Isaiah Thomas, ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan reports.
“Before the draft last year, Danny was trying to get two picks, not just Jaylen Brown,” MacMullan told Bob Ryan on his podcast (h/t Comcast Sportsnet). “He was on the phone with everybody from coast to coast, and he was offering everybody. That includes Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas, and anything else they needed to get where he wanted to go. There were no untouchables on that team last year.”
MacMullan believes the only untouchable on Boston’s roster this summer will be Al Horford. The big man signed a four-year, $113MM deal with the team last offseason.
The Celtics won the lottery earlier this week and earned the top selection in the 2017 draft. In addition to the No. 1 overall selection, the franchise owns three second round picks. Only the Sixers have more selections in the upcoming draft.
If Boston wants to acquire another lottery pick in this year’s draft, I’d speculate that trading Thomas would fetch them a top-14 selection this time around. The point guard had an excellent season, scoring 28.9 points per game, a figure which only trailed Russell Westbrook and James Harden. He has just one season at a salary of approximately $6.26MM left on his deal after this year.
Ainge sucks as a GM…absolutely horrible. Jaylen Brown is the guy he picked 3rd overall…so he wanted to trade Isaiah Thomas for another lottery pick? if brown was 3rd best player IT’S A WEAK DRAFT
Sucks as a GM? Jaylen Brown is going to make the all rookie team…
Sucks as a gm but has all of the assets and the world and has put them into good use. This team is a superstar away from a dynasty
no you need more then that
You need a lot more than that to beat Cleveland! As long as LBJ is playing, Cleveland is ruling the east until he retires.
Cleveland is nothing without Lebron. Subtract any one guy from the Celtics as well as they’re a better team. The Celtics have almost everything they need balanced out just another couple solid pieces and they’re finals ready.
Once Lebron is gone, Cleveland will need muuuuuch more than a couple pieces to contend again.
As long as that player is Labron James
Dynasty? Not even close
This is just a really poor take.
He sucks as a gm yet Boston is in a deep playoff run while also having the top pick in the draft …
Seriously, rebuilding done right. Nabbing these Brooklyn picks was a solid move. They’re gonna be the deepest team in the NBA for some years.
IT4 to the mavs for the #9 pick?
Deal
This stuff aggravates me y bring this crap up and piss off your best player (in less he was already told) that y I hate most NE reporters
Isn’t Jackie MacMullan kind of known for that though?
Yes
Tbh I’d trade him snag me fultz at number one and monk in the top ten
lol I wouldn’t add two more guards. People say there’s too many guards now. Sixers need a PG maybe we take Fultz and then Jackson at three by trading Thomas for the pick, Holmes, and/or Covington.
Sixers would laugh at that
Why? They need a PG to work with everyone so a 28 PPG scorer would be worth it plus they can play Simmons on the wing.
Damn I’d love to deal IT for the #3 pick
It’d be funny af if they got the second pick too so then Lonzo ball got screwed out of going to the lakers lol
And lavaar would be murdered by Boston media and fans. I like this idea…
I doubt Thomas gets traded, but I don’t doubt a guard on Boston gets dealt this time around. Smart, Bradley, or Rozier could be going.
I’m not a big IT fan. He’s great but I think trading him and keeping Fultz is the best basketball move, but it would piss the fans off too much if they did that.
Just imagine what they could get for him though, much more than Sac got for Boogie thats for sure.
Boogie is a transcendent talent. I don’t know if Thomas could fetch something that attractive.
If they don’t trade him they will have to overpay him
Which may be fine if they grab Hayward this offseason. That would put them over the cap for at least 3 years considering they already have Horford’s deal so it wouldn’t make a huge difference.
They would move Thomas if the right offer comes up…They would then need a scorer and still need a BIG MAN in the middle controlling the brds..They sign Haywood with Thomas still there they might trade the pk for a big man…But I don’t think Thomas is a Max’s guy either..
I think in Isiah trade is contingent on us knowing Hayward stays in Utah. If he thinks he’ll come, they keep the team together. However even if they trade Isiah, I could still see them trying to trade back from 1 to 3 to draft Jackson. I almost wonder if Isiah, knowing there’s no chance they beat Cleveland next year, is fine with being traded, and then resigns with Boston next year in FA. It might be for a little less money, but I could see him taking a year elsewhere to allow the team another good player and then they resign him because he knows they need more help beating Cleveland.
Agree. I think the C’s direction is contingent on Hayward. If they sign him then they’ll keep developing both older and younger squads but if he stays with Utah then I think they blow it up and completely build through the draft and wait for LeBron to retire.
The only way we move Thomas is for the 1st overall pick which we already have so we shouldn’t even consider trading him. If anything trade Bradley if we take Fultz with the 1st pick
He wanted another lottery pick in 2016? He had 2 other 1st round picks that year. Jakob Pöltl, Thon Maker, Domantas Sabonis, or Taurean Prince? Who was he so high on? I really liked Thon, thought the Sixers should have tried to get him trading someone like Jah b/c this guy can handle & play stretch-4
IT was fantastic this season and turned into a very good NBA player, but some of you Celtics fans are delusional with some of these trade ideas. No GM is giving up a lottery pick AND assets (young players or affordable vets) for an undersized point guard that is hampered on one side of the ball. But, I guess to contradict myself i think Dallas makes a lot of sense. One last ride for Dirk