Over the past couple of days, we’ve heard that the Boston Celtics are going to be quite aggressive in order to find their way into this year’s top-5, especially considering they currently own 3 first-round picks that they’d be willing to part ways with.
And, according to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, Danny Ainge has already reached out to the Cleveland Cavaliers in an attempt to get their 5th overall pick. For that purpose, he already offered them their 14th pick plus one of their other two first-rounders (26 & 30):
“I heard Boston offered the Cavs their No. 14 pick and another first round pick to move up to No. 5. The Celtics also have picks No. 26 and 30 in this draft – a total of three first-rounders,” read the report.
It’s not a secret that Danny Ainge is one of the most aggressive executives in the league when it comes to piling up – and moving – Draft assets so this report shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Moreover, with the Celtics lacking depth at the center spot, it’s likely that they’re looking to find a way to wrap their hands around defensive specialist Onyeka Okongwu, who’s expected to fall to the 5th spot after Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Deni Avdija.
The Celtics are also reportedly trying to move Gordon Hayward after watching Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum blossom into a standout two-way duo, which would give them even more depth ahead of another deep playoff run.
There’s no doubt that the Celtics have a young and promising core to compete for many years to come, and adding another top-5 pick to that mix would certainly make them the biggest powerhouse in the Eastern Conference in the blink of an eye.
As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, trading down would only make sense if they could get another high pick in return for Kevin Love or any of their young players, as they’re currently going through a rebuild and that 5th overall pick would certainly do wonders for their project.
