Brad Stevens: Celtics Targeting 'Seven Or Eight Guys' With No. 3 Pick

The real intrigue of the 2016 NBA Draft begins with the No. 3 pick owned by the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics could trade the pick, which they obtained from the Brooklyn Nets in the July 2013 deal involving Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, or they could keep it and choose from a pool of players that’s unlikely to include LSU’s Ben Simmons or Duke’s Brandon Ingram, who most experts expect to go No. 1 and No. 2 overall.

If the C’s opt for the latter route, some names already are jumping off the draft board as possible targets.

“I’ve got a good idea when I talk to (Celtics president of basketball operations) Danny (Ainge) and the front office about who they’re really targeting and focused on as far as, again, those seven or eight guys, but we’ve got so many picks that we can’t stop there,” Stevens told reporters Monday after the Celtics hosted workouts for 12 players from college and Europe. “Whether you’re watching clips and individual clips or highlight films or whatever the case may be, what I like to do is I like to watch full-game footage, and specifically end-of-game footage on a lot of different guys. We have so many picks, any game you turn on, almost might include somebody, so it’s pretty good.”

The Celtics have eight picks overall — three in the first round and five in the second round — so they can’t afford to slack off on their homework leading up to the June 23 draft. The chances of hitting on a superstar in the middle of the first round — the C’s have the No. 16 and No. 23 overall selections — or in the second round are slimmer, but Boston needs to be prepared for anything and everything.

Still, everyone’s talking about the No. 3 pick. And for good reason. The Celtics have money to spend and trading away the selection could net them a win-now piece that’ll help lure a key free agent to Boston. Or with players like Dragan Bender, Buddy Hield, Jaylen Brown, Kris Dunn and Jamal Murray expected to be available at No. 3, the Celtics’ next big star could come from the draft.

Either way, this is an incredibly important time for the future of the C’s.