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 fourth and final selection, the 51st pick.
Falling significantly short of the organization’s lofty preseason goals, the Boston Celtics are preparing for a rough, rough summer in which roster turnover could range from miniscule to disastrous. The collection of three first-round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft eases the pain somewhat, but the potential exodus of several key rotation players — as well as the potential for league-altering trades — leaves the Celtics’ future shrouded in uncertainty.
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.
Trade markets are often unpredictable, yet, with that said, it’s hard to envision as scenario where any team, particularly the New Orleans Pelicans, finds the inclusion of a measly second-round pick as a deal-breaker. Boston likely won’t find much value on the market from the 51st selection, and it likely won’t carry much weight in trade talks with David Griffin, unlike the team’s three first rounders (14, 20, 22).
Although Boston will likely use the trio of first rounders to draft for both talent and value by targeting players such as Brandon Clarke, Goga Bitadze, Matisse Thybulle and Cameron Johnson, the thought process involved with making the team’s final selection of the evening doesn’t have to follow suit. First rounders inherently carry more value in trade discussions; second rounders, understandably, carry far less.
As such, this bottom-10 selection can be made by the Celtics and for the Celtics without weighing external factors. Simply put, Boston can just draft whoever they want here, grabbing whatever prospect stands out in the draft’s final stages. It’s unlikely that Ainge will find a diamond in the rough, but it’s still in the realm of possibility — it largely depends on what players rise and fall on draft night.
Here’s a look at three possible options for the Boston Celtics with the 51st pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.