History will say the Boston Celtics passed on the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, not only trading it away but doing so in a deal with one of the team's fiercest rivals.
Danny Ainge isn't worried.
Philadelphia and Boston completed their trade of draft picks on Monday, the 76ers acquiring the No. 1 pick from the Celtics and netting the chance to draft Washington guard Markelle Fultz.
The Celtics sent that pick to the Sixers for the No. 3 pick and the protected Los Angeles Lakers first-rounder in 2018, which the Sixers owned. The Celtics will get the pick if it falls in slots 2-5 in next summer's NBA draft lottery. If it does not, Boston will receive either the Sacramento Kings' or Sixers' first-round pick in 2019. The Celtics would take whichever one is more favorable. But if either of those picks become the first overall, the Celtics will receive the other pick.
"We're getting the player we want. They're getting the player they want," said Ainge, the Celtics' president of basketball operations. "And we're getting an additional player that we want in next year's draft or the year after. It's a good deal for both teams."
The player Philadelphia wants is clear: The 76ers wouldn't say it Monday, but they're going to take Fultz barring something cataclysmic happening before Thursday.
"We felt like the move from 3 to 1 was worth the cost of a first-round pick in the future," 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said.
Cavs want George
The Cavaliers are among those discussing a possible trade with the Pacers for four-time All-Star Paul George after he told the Pacers on Sunday of his intention to leave after next season, multiple sources reported.
