It's not very common for a team coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference finals to have three first-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, but the wheeling and dealing the Boston Celtics have done in recent years have set them up in a position to be incredibly busy on draft night.
Equipped with the 14th, 26th and 30th picks in the draft on Nov. 18, the Celtics are looking to trade all three selections in an effort to move up further in the lottery, per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor. However, he says no teams have been interested in Boston's offer yet.
It makes sense for the Celtics to want to unload some of their picks, considering they're trying to win now with a wealth of talented young players already on the roster. Danny Ainge and the rest of Boston's front office has built a championship-caliber team through drafting players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, and don't necessarily need three additional mid-to-late first-round draft picks to improve this team.
From a cap space perspective, it would also help Boston save some money entering a season where the NBA's salary cap is projected to decrease due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's unclear who the Celtics have in mind if they are able to move up in the lottery, but if they do keep the No. 14 pick our latest mock draft has them selecting sharpshooting small forward Aaron Nesmith, who could provide shooting and wing depth to Boston's roster.
