Celtics do not need Ball or Fultz, should trade the number one pick

Back in 2013 the Boston Celtics decided to move on from the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett era and start fresh and get younger. They made a trade with the Brooklyn Nets and it looked like this:

Brooklyn receives: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White

Boston receives: Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, three first-round picks (2014, 2016 and 2018), plus the right to swap first-rounders in 2017.

As it looks on paper it seems the Celtics were the losers in this trade. The Celtics giving up two future hall of famers and Jason Terry who helped the Mavericks win the 2011 NBA finals for some players for the most part are no longer in the league. However, Pierce, Garnett and Terry were far past their primes and it did not make sense for Boston to keep them especially needing to compete in the east against LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Fast-forward four years to 2017.

The 2017 NBA is rich in talent and with the Nets having the worst record in the NBA last season they had the best chance of getting the number one pick. However because of the option of switching the 2017 first round pick with Brooklyn, the Celtics were now in control of getting the first overall pick (which they now have) which leaves them with getting a young star in Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball or even Josh Jackson coming out of Kansas.

Now here’s the take. The Celtics do not need any of those kids. What the Celtics need right now is a developed player or two who is already in the league that has experience leading a team with the ultimate goal of beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavilers. The Celtics don not have time to develop a young player transitioning from college to the NBA. Al Horford is getting old, Isiah Thomas is a 5” 9’ point guard who’s also getting up there in age and won’t be able to lead his team forever and with Boston picking Fultz (which NBA mock drafts predict) at number one, he won’t be beating LeBron James any time soon and it only slows the Celtics down.

The player the Celtics need to get would be either Paul George or Jimmy Butler. Paul George has already hinted that he wants out of Indiana and Jimmy Butler needs to space himself away from the Bulls and join a team that has a functional front office, better coaching staff and better players, and with the Bulls and Pacers sitting at the sixteenth and eighteenth pick, there’s all the reason in the world to move up especially with the talent with Ball, Fultz, and Jackson. With the Pacers and Bulls not anywhere close to beating the Cavilers or the Celtics for that matter they have time in developing these players into stars and having them at least compete with Cleveland later down the road.

With getting Paul George or Jimmy Butler, the Celtics get a boost on defense and help on the offensive side of the ball which they desperately need. Isiah Thomas cannot be the team’s leading scorer and have no other player even come close. It also gives the Celtics a better three point shooter which in the league today is vital in winning games and championships.

The Celtics should trade the number one pick in this year’s draft to either the Pacers or the Bulls and here could be the scenarios:

Indiana receives: 2017 number one pick, with the Pacers choice of Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown or Avery Bradley

Boston receives: Paul George and 2017 eighteenth overall pick

Or:

Chicago receives: 2017 number one pick, 2018 first round Nets pick and either Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart or Jaylen Brown.

Boston receives: Jimmy Butler and 2017 sixteenth overall pick.

It’s easy to say these things but it’s going to take a lot of guts and a lot discussion to get these deals done but in order for the Boston Celtics to get over the hump and give the Cleveland Cavilers a little competition in the Eastern Conference then their best decision would be to trade that number one pick and get a player that can help them win now.