The NBA draft is a week away and as usual, there are plenty of rumors and reports as it relates to the Celtics.
The Celtics enter this year's draft with three first-round picks (Nos. 14, 26 and 30) plus a second-round pick (No. 47). It seems unlikely they keep all of those picks given how few roster spots they have available, unless they draft a couple players they can stash overseas for a year or two.
There have been reports that they're looking to trade up for a higher pick, with The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reporting on Wednesday that they're one of the teams eyeing the Atlanta Hawks' sixth overall pick.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge acknowledged "it's not ideal if we add four more rookies to the team" and said that he is "trying to make some deals before the draft to improve our team."
That said, Ainge added that he doesn't think the Celtics need to make a deal just for the sake of making a deal, because they like the team and players they already have and believe they can also get better via internal improvement.
Ainge said he views this year's draft as "not a great draft, but it's a deep draft." He identified shooting, athleticism and defending when asked what he would be looking for, which isn't surprising.
The draft, on Nov. 18, will be almost immediately followed by free agency, which opens on Nov. 20. What kind of deals the Celtics look to make will be influenced by what Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter decide to do, as both have player options. Ainge said that as of right now he doesn't have a sense one way or the other of what either player will do.