The Celtics were involved in the very first NBA trade involving the No. 1 overall draft pick. The year was 1951. The Celtics and Fort Wayne Pistons struck a deal to swap disgruntled player for disgruntled player. Fort Wayne got the Celtics' 1950 No. 1 pick in Chuck Share. But Boston clearly won that trade landing Bill Sharman, who owns a pretty impressive Basketball-Reference page. (You can call OMF and ask Glenn Ordway for his opinion on Sharman.)
I believe the Celtics should do it again in this crazy year of 2020 -- trade for the No. 1 overall pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves, who Kevin O’Connor reports are making the pick available. The return Minnesota is seeking is a “win-now” player.
If you’ve read any of my trade proposals for this Celtics offseason, you know I am not afraid to trade Marcus Smart. Smart conveniently fits the win-now player criteria and would make the same money annually as the No. 1 pick, who is slotted at about $12 million per year. So this trade works in terms of dollars and what the Timberwolves are seeking. Minnesota would likely want No. 14 in return as well.
There are two players, and only two players, who the Celtics should target here at No. 1: LaMelo Ball should not be one of them. I don’t get the hype and I can’t stand his father. His floor is so much lower than the only guys the Celtics should consider: James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards.
For this team? The obvious pick would be Wiseman. He fits a hole that everyone in the basketball universe was pointing to -- a big man.
What I would do and what Danny Ainge would do are two very different things. Danny raved about the production from Daniel Theis in the middle of the 2019-20 season. In an interview with NBC Sports Boston back in February, Ainge said he didn’t think the Center position was an issue. “With the three guys in particular with Robert Williams healthy, Enes [Kanter] and Daniel [Theis], I really liked what I saw out of those 3 guys. They’re a 3 headed monster at center,” he said.
I hope Ainge sees the need for a guy like Wiseman as opposed to sticking with Theis, Kanter and the Timelord. I don’t see that group being much better next year. I’m going with Wiseman. He’s athletic, can be a threat in the pick and roll and defend the rim from Day 1.
As for Edwards, he could turn out to be the best player in this draft. He has the size of N’Keal Harry. (Except this guy is actually good at the game he plays.) He’s not a great 3-pointer shooter. Edwards compares his game to Dwayne Wade. D-Wade saw it and responded on Twitter.
Another plus to this move is 4-5 years of control with the rookie at No. 1. I’m not sure if the Celtics can afford to pay Smart what he deserves after the 2021-22 season. He can cash in two seasons from now and it’s tough to see him turning down a big payday.
The ball handling responsibilities can easily be covered by Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown taking on a bigger role.
To get a future star, you’ve got to be willing to part with legitimate pieces. This move sets the Celtics up to still win next year and be better suited for a fun future with Tatum and Brown leading the way.