The Boston Celtics cannot come away with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday night. But there still is plenty on the line for the Green in Chicago.
Boston already is locked into the No. 20 slot (via the Los Angeles Clippers), and their own draft slot at No. 22. But the C’s own a couple of other assets that will be involved in the lottery proceedings.
The Celtics are due to receive the Sacramento Kings’ first-round pick in next month’s draft, so long as it does not come out No. 1 overall in the lottery. In that case, the pick would go to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston would get Philly’s pick at No. 24.
This year, the top four slots of the draft will be selected through the lottery.
Sacramento sits 14th, the final lottery slot, and has a 1 percent chance of jumping up to No. 1. But there is a 3.7 percent chance that Boston could walk away somewhere between picks 2-4.
Here is a breakdown of everyone’s odds of grabbing the top slot:
There is another pick the Celtics will be keeping their eyes on. Boston will get Memphis’ first-round pick should it fall out of the top eight. The Grizzlies ring in eighth in the lottery’s pecking order. Should things stay put, the Celtics will get the Grizzlies’ 2020 pick, which could very well end up being a top-five pick.
