Hoops Habit
Fansided

2016 NBA Draft: Draft Day Misses

By Gary Gorski

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver holds a basketball while posing for a photo with draft prospects from left Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) , Ben Simmons (LSU), Brandon Ingram (Duke) and Kris Dunn (Providence) before the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver holds a basketball while posing for a photo with draft prospects from left Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) , Ben Simmons (LSU), Brandon Ingram (Duke) and Kris Dunn (Providence) before the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Jul 5, 2013; Waltham, MA, USA; General Manager Danny Ainge talks about hiring new Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, center, as owner Wyc Grousbeck, right, listens in during a news conference announcing Stevens new position. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 5, 2013; Waltham, MA, USA; General Manager Danny Ainge talks about hiring new Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, center, as owner Wyc Grousbeck, right, listens in during a news conference announcing Stevens new position. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

Boston Celtics

The biggest loser on the night had to be Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics. Armed with eight draft picks and Brad Stevens, who has done an amazing job getting the roster he has to be a competitive team, Ainge needed to bring some impact players in to put the Celtics back in the running for the East.

The biggest question is why couldn’t the Celtics make a deal? Reports were, as in the past, that Ainge simply asked for too much in trade offers.

Having eight picks in the draft may sound like a great idea and a position of strength but it’s also a position of weakness in some aspects. Teams knew Ainge had to make deals because you can’t add eight players to a roster from the draft and with so many teams trying to free up cap space and roster spots for this blockbuster summer there wasn’t anyone to play hardball with.

Instead Ainge backed himself into a corner, forced to use picks 16 and 23 of the draft on stash guys and was forced to trade his early second round picks, one of which became Deyonta Davis who would have been a steal for any team at  No. 31.

Jaylen Brown might turn out to be a really good player and Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic are decent prospects as well. However the potential to have turned those picks into a big star like Jimmy Butler or even a player like Nerlens Noel and only ending up with Jaylen Brown and some future players isn’t getting the Celtics where their fan base hoped they would go in 2016-17.

Next: Orlando Magic

Home/NBA Draft