There have been plenty of reports of the Celtics trying to move up in Wednesday night's NBA draft, and one of the players that has reportedly been in their crosshairs is USC big man Onyeka Okongwu.
The thinking has been that the Celtics, who currently have picks 14, 26 and 30 in the first round, would likely have to get up to the fifth or sixth overall pick in order to land Okongwu, and there have been reports that they've explored deals with both Cleveland and Atlanta, who own those fifth and six picks.
But now with the draft just several hours away, it appears there's a possibility that the Celtics may not have to move up quite that high to get Okongwu if he's their guy.
That's because news has surfaced, via Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, that Okongwu is dealing with a foot injury that "could cost him training camp and maybe some of the regular season."
Bonnell adds that the injury could affect where Okongwu gets drafted, "but not a lot."
It seems highly unlikely Okongwu would slide all the way to 14 even after this news, so the Celtics would likely still need to trade up if they want him. But that could become a more manageable task if they only have to get up to the 8-10 range instead of five or six.
Of course, it's also possible the Celtics might be one of the teams who would be scared off by the injury and wouldn't want to trade up for Okongwu anyways.
Or they could be setting their sights even higher, with a new report that they're trying to move all the way up to the top three.
UPDATE: Okongwu's injury is reportedly a fractured left toe, which is considered "minor."