A mix of leftover thoughts from Thursday's draft and a look ahead to notable storylines with the start of free agency just one week away.
1. The price of doing business in the first round was expensive: After looking at the deals that were made on Thursday night, it becomes clear why the Celtics declined to move up into the lottery on draft night. The Suns handed over an unprotected first round pick in 2021 (Miami) to climb up just six spots in the draft (from No. 16 to No. 10). The Clippers handed over two second-round picks to the Hornets to move up just one spot (from No. 12 to No. 11). Dallas handed over a top-5 protected 2019 first round pick to trade up from No. 5 to No. 3 to take Luka Doncic. All of those deals produced a pretty heavy premium for the teams making the move up draft boards. Given the fact that no veteran players were dealt on draft night, it’s evident that a high climb was going to cost multiple future lottery picks and that’s something the Celtics clearly didn’t want to part with in totality on Thursday night. Other front offices weren’t biting on the likes of Terry Rozier or Marcus Morris for fair value, so the C’s understandably didn’t try to force the action.
2. The Celtics nailed their intel on Robert Williams' positioning: Once the big man lasted into the late teens, the Celtics started to get excited that Williams could fall to them at No. 27. League sources told BostonSportsJournal.com
that the team did inquire about moving up a couple times higher into the 20s to draft him, but their offers were rebuffed. Rather than overpay for the right to take the 6-foot-9 forward, the C’s ultimately elected to hang back at No. 27, with the mindset that teams above them would continue to pass on him due to positional fit or other concerns. That research ended up saving the franchise some assets and also landed them a player that was far above No. 27 on their draft board. One other rumbling I heard on draft night? C’s inquired about trading up to take Michael Porter Jr. when he fell into the teens. The Nuggets ultimately selected him at No. 14 overall.
5. Terry Rozier almost turned Danny Ainge’s draft night into a disaster: The point guard was a guest draft analyst for Bleacher Report on Thursday night and surprised Ainge with a phone call right as the Celtics were going on the clock. Incredibly, Ainge answered the phone call
This @bleacherreport video of Terry Rozier @T_Rozzay3 calling @DanielrAinge for inside information on the #Celtics pick is absolutely epic. Not only is it hilarious but shows how close Ainge is to his players. Call him ruthless all you want... best GM in sports.? pic.twitter.com/mpbXtUIXDq
— Celtics Social (@CelticsSocial) June 22, 2018