2019 NBA Draft: Top 3 players for Boston Celtics to select with 14th pick

With four picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics have plenty of choices to make. Here are three players they could possibly target with their first selection, the 14th pick.

Last week’s 2019 NBA Draft Lottery produced quite a bit of pandemonium, as the revamped odds system unveiled shock after shock for the several teams with top-14 selections on the line.

Three of the four worst teams — Chicago, Phoenix, Cleveland — slipped out of the top four, the Knicks slid from first to third (congrats on RJ!), the Lakers vaulted up seven spots all the way to fourth, the Memphis Grizzlies’ top-8 protected pick jumped up to second, and the reeling New Orleans Pelicans essentially found their Anthony Davis replacement by winning the rights to draft Zion Williamson first overall.

The night was chaotic to be sure, but it could’ve been even more bizarre had the 2019 Sacramento pick jumped into the top-4, thus leaving both Celtics fans and 76ers fans panicking over where it would land. Received along with the third overall pick in the 2017 Draft (which would be used to select Jayson Tatum) in exchange for the first overall pick (Markelle Fultz) two years ago, and originally shipped to the 76ers from Sacramento in one of the strangest salary-shedding deals ever in 2015, the pick had extensive and unique protections on it for this year. Had it landed anywhere 2-14, it would’ve stayed with the Celtics; had it jumped to first overall, it would’ve been Philadelphia’s to use, and their own first round pick (No. 24) would’ve been shipped to Boston instead.

Meaning, if that night began with the Miami Heat being the first team called, there would’ve been immeasurable chaos. Of course, that didn’t happen, and the Celtics will be picking 14th after Sacramento’s pick stood pat. The Celtics could’ve potentially received Memphis’ pick had it slipped out of the top-8, but instead Memphis will convey their pick either next year or the year after (depending on where it lands next year).

Boston owns three first round picks — 14, 20, 22 — this year, along with the 51st pick, and are in quite a predicament. What makes Boston’s predicament so dubious and troublesome is the uncertainty clouding the roster heading into the offseason. A roster full of underachievers that managed to only win 49 games and bow out in five games in the Conference Semifinals is set to change drastically, whether by the intentions of the front office or by the intentions of the players heading into free agency.

Enigmatic star point guard Kyrie Irving and his bluntly-spoken backup, Terry Rozier, are both heading into free agency this summer, with several members of the media and rival front offices believing that both guards could be walking in a matter of weeks, which could give the Celtics the task of finding a new lead guard via the 2019 NBA Draft. Veteran big man Al Horford has a hefty player option that he could turn down if he so chooses and thus enter free agency, but it’s widely expected that he’ll either opt-in or re-sign to a longer, cheaper deal to remain with the franchise for the next few years.

Granted, surprises take place regularly in the NBA, so his potential departure should be considered and planned for accordingly. Other valuable role players, such as spot-starters Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes, can both enter free agency this summer. Baynes is likely to pick up his player option, but Morris’s future in Boston is in doubt based on the past season’s tumultuous nature.

Additionally, the Celtics are firmly in the mix for Anthony Davis’s services, so there’s uncertainty whether these four draft picks would be used as actual additions to Boston’s roster or an addition to their collection of assets that could be tossed into a blockbuster trade for the Pelicans star.

Because of this, Danny Ainge and Mike Zarren will have to be awfully careful and calculated on draft night (if no trade has occurred yet), selecting prospects that could potentially serve them well as roster pieces while also possessing league-wide value as trade chips.

The first of four selections, the 14th pick is situated right at the tail-end of the lottery, giving Ainge and co. the task of patiently waiting to see what top-tier prospect falls out of the top-10 on draft night. With some teams potentially drafting for fit to fill out needs in the backcourt and on the wing, that could leave a trio of talented forwards/bigs waiting to be snatched up by the Celtics. Boston could certainly add a new point guard to the roster or other perimeter players, too, but the layout of the lottery lends credence to the idea that it will be a big, not a wing, that will slide out of the top-14. Horford, Baynes and Morris didn’t form a formidable rebounding corps (23rd in REB%, 23rd in second-chance points), so grabbing a useful long-term option at the ‘4’ or ‘5’ is a realistic option for Boston.

Here’s a look at three possible options for Boston with the 14th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.