The Los Angeles Clippers clinched a playoff spot this week, meaning they’ll now send their 2019 first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics.
The selection, which the Celtics originally acquired in 2016, had been lottery-protected, but Los Angeles’ playoff-clinching victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night ensured the pick will fall outside the lottery and thus into Boston’s hands.
The Celtics will have at least three first-round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, as they also have their own first-rounder and the Sacramento Kings’ first-rounder — unless the latter winds up being the No. 1 overall selection, in which case Boston would receive the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-rounder. They could wind up with another first-round pick, too, if the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-rounder falls outside the top eight.
This will give Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge plenty of flexibility to make moves this offseason, with Anthony Davis, of course, being the biggest fish available on the trade market.
So, would four 2019 first-round draft picks be enough for the Celtics to pry Davis away from the New Orleans Pelicans without having to surrender Jayson Tatum? That question was posed Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” and NBA insider Brian Windhorst explained why it’s unlikely.
This figures to be a crucial summer for the Celtics, who have underachieved so far this season despite entering the 2018-19 campaign with NBA Finals aspirations. Kyrie Irving can opt out of his contract and become a free agent, and his decision could impact Boston’s potential pursuit of Davis, which already is complicated by New Orleans’ likely demands and Davis’ impending free agency in the summer of 2020.
