Lottery produces mixed bag for Celtics after Pelicans claim No. 1 pick

The Celtics will enter trade season next month with three first-round picks at their disposal in the 2019 NBA Draft after a mixed bag of results at the lottery on Tuesday night. Boston will pick at No. 14 (via Sacramento), No. 20 (via LA Clippers) and No. 22 in the first round.

Boston came up with the expected results after the ping pong balls fell for their own picks, first holding steady at No. 14 with the Kings pick (95 percent chance). The bigger story was the Grizzlies pick rolling over to 2020 for the Celtics after Memphis jumped up to No. 2 overall from their original No. 8 spot. The Celtics will now move forward this offseason with that first round pick remaining in their asset arsenal, although the Grizzlies will be improved with a top-tier prospect like Ja Morant or Cam Reddish on the roster. The Grizzlies' pick is top-6 protected for the 2020 NBA Draft and unprotected in 2021.

The biggest story of the night though was the Pelicans jumping up from the No. 7 spot to No. 1 overall, putting them in pole position to take Zion Williamson in June. The Lakers also jumped up from No. 11 to the No. 4 spot overall, giving them a big boost to their draft pick arsenal this June. The Knicks ended up in the No. 3 spot despite finishing with the worst record. Here’s a complete look at the results

14. Celtics (via Kings)
13. Heat
12. Hornets
11. Wolves
10. Hawks (via Mavs)
9. Wizards
8. Hawks
7. Bulls
6. Suns
5. Cavs
4. Lakers
3. Knicks
2. Grizzlies
1. Pelicans

BSJ ANALYSIS

After an unfavorable season on the asset front, having the Memphis pick roll over to 2020 is a highly encouraging development for the Celtics on Tuesday night for a multitude of reasons. Bringing another rookie into the fold with three first round picks already in hand would have been a tight squeeze on a roster that already has Guerschon Yabusele and Robert Williams under contract. There’s no guarantee both of those guys are not going to be traded this summer, but adding more inexperienced bodies to the mix for a team that hopes to contend is a tough sell and would have forced the front office into additional deals.

The bigger help in waiting at least another year on the Grizzlies pick is the Celtics keeping

a movable asset with upside. That’s important when it comes to timing out a potential trade for Anthony Davis or another star name. If the Grizzlies' pick arrived now, draft night becomes a trade deadline to a degree when it comes to dealing draft picks for Davis or another star. Unless it’s a slam dunk prospect (i.e. a No. 1 overall pick like Andrew Wiggins was in 2015), trading draft talent after draft night generally does not happen in the NBA. The Celtics would need to take who the Pelicans (or Team X) wanted in a potential deal on draft night since it’s unlikely those teams would prefer the same players Boston would at No. 9, No. 14, etc. The terms of those deals would need to be agreed upon by draft night.

The other upside with the Memphis pick not conveying is the fact that it can be sold as an asset with higher upside. The future of the Grizzlies looks less than promising now with an aging Mike Conley and Jaren Jackson Jr. looming as the only young player with All-Star potential on the roster. Given that the Grizzlies could easily be at the bottom of the NBA for the next two seasons (even while adding Ja Morant or R.J Barrett to their core), the Celtics can sell this pick as a promising lottery ticket for some team since its unprotected pick in 2021. In fact, it might be one of the better assets in the NBA out of picks not owned by their current teams. Shopping the No. 9 overall pick in what is expected to be a top-heavy draft would have expected to have less value.

The other results at the top of the draft were not particularly helpful for the Celtics though. The Pelicans coming up with No. 1 overall pick should provide some hope for that franchise to sell Davis on remaining in New Orleans as he enters his contract year, although Shams Charamia of Stadium reports that the pick has no changed his stance. A core of Davis/Jrue Holiday/Zion Williamson should at least be a playoff team in the West but given how much awkwardness has unfolded in the Bayou over the last few months following his trade demand, Davis electing to give the franchise a second chance still feels unlikely. It’s better than no shot though and that’s what it was before the Pelicans ended up with No. 1. I'd expect new team president David Griffin to pitch him in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere, the Lakers helped themselves quite a bit in the Davis trade derby (assuming he’s still available) by moving up to No. 4 overall with the 11th worst record. That gives them a much-needed improved centerpiece to a hypothetical Davis trade offer, even though there’s no clear-cut No. 4 prospect in this year’s draft. Given how many injuries have piled up among the Lakers prospects (Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball), they can now re-enter negotiations this summer with improved assets. The Celtics can still outbid them, but it’s going to take a little bit more now if they are offering No. 4 with Ingram, Ball and other future picks.

All things considered, it was a good, but not great lottery night for the Celtics. They get the desired results for the Grizzlies pick (although they would have preferred they stayed at No. 8) but their options for this offseason just got a little murkier in the process with the Pelicans landing No. 1 and the Lakers improving an asset. On a night that was supposed to bring some clarity for the future, the C’s front office now leaves lottery night with a little bit of uncertainty regarding the availability of their No. 1 trade target this offseason. For now, they can only hope stays committed to getting a fresh start and that David Griffin doesn't like potential No. 4 picks in 2019 more than Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown.