Boston Celtics: Could trading the No. 1 pick come back to haunt them?

Was it a good decision for the Boston Celtics to trade the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft?

On Monday, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers officially completed their blockbuster trade.

Boston sent its first overall pick to Philly in return for the No. 3 overall pick and future draft picks. The Celtics will receive a 2018 first round pick (via the Los Angeles Lakers), as long as it falls between No. 2 and No. 5 in the draft. If it doesn’t, the Sixers will instead send a 2019 first round pick to Boston (via Sacramento).

Who are the likely players that Boston will use its No. 3 pick on? According to ESPN‘s Dave McMenamin, the Celtics are considering drafting Kansas forward Josh Jackson and Duke forward Jayson Tatum.

Boston didn’t seem interested in adding a guard like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball to a team filled with guards in Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart. They need more talent at small forward to keep up with the likes of LeBron James and Paul George in the East, hence the interest in Jackson and Tatum.

Boston was never seriously interested in Fultz

If the Celtics never planned on taking Fultz, the trade for future draft picks was a logical decision. Boston would receive the same player and get an additional future first round pick in the process. That seems to be what Ainge had in mind, per Ian Thomsen of NBA.com.

"“We think there’s a really good chance the player we take at 3 is the player we would have taken at 1.”"

The Boston Celtics are already loaded with future draft picks, so acquiring another first-rounder could allow Ainge to trade those assets for a franchise player, and still have a few picks left in the bag.

"“They can be valuable in trades, and they can be valuable by using the picks to draft good young players. So we’ll continue on that path until a brighter, quicker future that we like approaches.”"

Boston has already been linked to names like Paul George and Jimmy Butler, while The Vertical‘s Chris Mannix mentioned Anthony Davis as a player it’d love to add. Ainge might cash in all of those chips sooner than we expected.

Could trading the No. 1 pick come back to hurt Boston?

Anytime a team is awarded the No. 1 overall pick in a draft, it’s an amazing opportunity to snag the next Hall of Fame player. So, trading away such an asset, even if for a No. 3 pick, will be met with criticism from some fans. Ainge has been an executive in Boston since 2003, and his experience allows him to handle the critiques and the doubts.

"“This is certainly a trade that is under the microscope more than other trades, but we’re not afraid of that.”"

Should Ainge be a bit nervous about his decision, especially if Boston isn’t able to put together a blockbuster trade? He traded the No. 1 pick to the up-and-coming 76ers — a team that also had the No. 1 pick last season, drafting forward Ben Simmons, who has yet to play. Adding Fultz to Simmons and Joel Embiid could make Philly a formidable foe against Boston for years to come.

As an executive, making decisions in the best interest of the team involves making the correct roster moves for your team, and not sending too many assets to a conference rival. If Fultz turns out to be the next Russell Westbrook or James Harden, Ainge will be the one responsible for creating a young, playoff rival in Philly.

Ainge has been right in the past

According to ESPN, Ainge said that the trade with Philly was the best offer that Boston received “by a significant margin.” If other teams weren’t willing to give up multiple future picks for the opportunity to draft Markelle Fultz, than maybe he isn’t as great as we think he will be?

Ainge is the man responsible for acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the same summer, leading to Boston’s 17th banner in 2008. Then in 2013, he shipped Garnett, Pierce and Jason Terry for multiple future draft picks from there Brooklyn Nets, including the No. 1 pick that Boston won in the lottery this year.

Next: NBA Trade Grades - Celtics deal No. 1 pick to 76ers

Only time will tell if this will be a major flop talked about for years from now, or if Ainge is back in his bag of tricks.

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