Celtics ‘Well-Positioned For Seismic Strike’ Following Trades
It feels as though Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has taken a page out of Danny Ainge’s playbook this offseason.
While Stevens has traded away key pieces in Marcus Smart and Grant Williams, he has also stockpiled assets, mainly in the form of second-round draft picks.
Stevens gained two of them Wednesday night in the sign-and-trade deal of Williams. He also did plenty of maneuvering during the NBA draft last month, continuing trading back and netting four second-round picks in the process.
Stevens certainly has prioritized draft capital this offseason, but with most of it coming in the second round, how valuable is it really moving forward? Well, perhaps more valuable than you think as it could put the Celtics in range to pull off another monumental deal, according to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.
“No, the Celtics do not have a plan to start a youth movement centered on draft picks. This capital will eventually serve as currency in a larger deal, with the Celtics well-positioned for a seismic strike, league sources said,” Himmelsbach wrote Thursday. “The spree of recent activity has bred speculation that they could be staking out their big move right now, but a league source said that appears unlikely.”
It would appear the only big trade left this offseason in the NBA would be to acquire Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard, who put in a trade request. There have been rumors speculating the Celtics’ interest in bringing Lillard to Boston. The Celtics reportedly called the Trail Blazers about what it would take to land Lillard.
But Himmelsbach poured cold water all over the thought of Stevens pulling off another deal that would put Lillard in a Celtics uniform.
“The Celtics have no intention of entering the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, according to league sources,” Himmelsbach wrote. “Things can change suddenly, of course. Maybe Boston gets pulled in as a third team in a deal. But the Celtics are not pursuing the Trail Blazers star, whose trade request has become the story of the NBA offseason.”
So, it looks like that “seismic” trade the Celtics are in a good position to orchestrate, will have to wait for the time being.
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