Report: Celtics Eyeing Willie Cauley-Stein, ‘Very Open’ To Trading Up

The Boston Celtics could be in the market for a rim-protecting center.

Sources told CSNNE’s A. Sherrod Blakely recently that the Celtics are “very open” to trading up in the upcoming NBA draft and could have their sights set on Kentucky product Willie Cauley-Stein. Boston already interviewed Cauley-Stein at the NBA combine.

The center is projected to go to the Sacramento Kings at pick No. 6 in nearly every mock draft you can find, but some have him falling below the top 10. The Celtics would have to give up a lot to move up that high, but with the 16th and 28th picks this year and a plethora of future picks, Boston certainly has the leverage to do it. Not to mention, nearly everyone on Boston’s roster is on the trading block, too.

Cauley-Stein’s defensive skills fit right in with coach Brad Stevens’ system. The 7-footer is a good finisher around the rim, and he’s regarded as one of the most NBA-ready centers in the draft. They’d be taking a chance with his lackluster offense, but the same was said about point guard Marcus Smart, and that pick has paid off for the C’s so far.

And thanks to former Wildcats teammate and Boston swingman James Young, Cauley-Stein has been paying attention to the Celtics.

“The organization, the way they’re running, they’re on a tight ship,” Cauley-Stein told Blakely after meeting with the team. “They got a lot of young guys, but a lot of young talented guys. To be that young and to be where they’re at is really amazing. You can tell that begins with the coaching staff. The players have to buy into it.”