WALTHAM, Mass. — The news of Joel Embiid’s foot injury Thursday was devastating, first and foremost, for Embiid himself. The stress fracture to the navicular bone in the 20-year-old’s right foot could cost him several months off the court, not to mention a fall in his draft stock.
Yet while other teams run away and hide from the injury-plagued big man, the Boston Celtics might be taking a closer look.
The Celtics will give “serious thought” to trading up from their No. 6 slot to select Embiid in the 2014 NBA draft next week, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE reports, citing sources. The possibility that Embiid now could be available beyond the top three picks adds considerable intrigue to the Celtics’ draft-night plans.
Another source told the Sporting News that “you can’t use a top-five pick” on Embiid given the recent developments. That means the Celtics could be poised to grab him — or to deal their pick to a separate team that would grab him — in the sixth slot.
Embiid’s foot is not his first injury scare. He was shut down late in the season with a stress fracture in his spine, although he given a clean bill of health by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the only team Embiid agreed to work out for.
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