Credit: : Mike Lawrie/Getty Images North America

Danny Ainge May Have Accidentally Revealed Boston’s Pick

This past Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics officially announced the trade, that will make the 76ers draft first in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft.

It is no secret that the Sixers agreed to the deal, because they were absolutely sold on Markelle Fultz, making him the obvious #1 draft pick this year. The other teams haven’t really said much about their potential picks. Even the Los Angeles Lakers who will draft second, haven’t decided who they are going to pick.

The Boston Celtics though, may have revealed their pick on accident. In a conference call, Danny Ainge explained why the Celtics traded down, saying that he felt Boston’s pick was going to be there at No. 3 anyway.

“We think there’s a really good chance the player we’ll take at 3 is the same player we would have taken at 1. So this was a great opportunity to acquire an impactful asset.”

If he is telling the truth, it could mean that the Celtics will draft Jayson Tatum out of Duke. That’s the most realistic scenario if we believe Ainge’s statement. A player that would have been available at 3 anyways, excludes top prospects like Lonzo Ball (who if the Lakers decided for Jackson would have ended up in Philadelphia), Markelle Fultz (obviously),  and Josh Jackson (who the Lakers still have as their potential #2 pick), leaving Jayson Tatum as their No.1 and now No.3 pick, as he wouldn’t have ended up in Philadelphia or Los Angeles in any way.

This would also coincide with earlier reports about Tatum bringing back some Paul Pierce vibes to the Celtics .

Boston thinks Jayson Tatum might be Paul Pierce 2.0, which is another reason why Ainge would take him at 3, source tells me. https://t.co/rEvLZChKb6

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 18, 2017