What would it take for Celtics to move up to No. 4 for Darius Garland?

Danny Ainge said earlier this month that the team will be exploring Plan A to Plan Z this offseason and one of those paths may take the team down a very young path. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express is reporting the Celtics are among four teams that have shown interest in moving up to No. 4 ahead of Thursday night. The Wolves, Bulls and Hawks are among the team interesting in moving up to No. 4 to select Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland along with the Celtics. The point guard also getting consideration at No. 3 from the Knicks, according to Givony, with a workout scheduled for them on Wednesday.

BSJ Analysis

Moving this high would be a bit of a stunner from a Celtics perspective, although a rumor about the Celtics inquiring about the pick is a long way away from the C's making a trade of this magnitude. The price of getting up to No. 4 overall won't be easy for Boston with their current collection of first round picks in 2019. The No. 14, 20 and 22 picks pooled together will only get them as high as No. 8-10 overall based on past draft history. While the value of the No. 4 pick varies by the strength of each draft class, the Celtics would certainly need to use alternative assets to get up to that range.

The most likely paths to get up that high would probably need to include one of the following: The 2020 lightly protected Memphis pick, or Jaylen Brown. The Grizzlies pick could become unprotected in 2021 but an aggressive move like this involving said pick would be a way to cash in on a prospect now that the team liked to mature immediately with Tatum and Brown. The other option would be thinking about putting Brown on the table. The Celtics have a big decision looming on the future of Brown next summer once he hits restricted free agency. If they are not sure they want to commit the big money necessary to retain him next summer, this draft will be one of the final chances to cash him in for a more cost controlled and long-term asset.

Moving on from Brown would be a significant choice that would likely signal the beginning of an extreme youth movement in Green and perhaps spell the end of Al Horford's tenure in Boston (if he wants to compete for a spot at the top of the East). However, that scenario seems like a long shot right now since it's hard to envision the Celtics wanting to take that kind of step back from last year unless they are convinced Garland is a future star and Brown is the only clear way to get him from the Pelicans. Moving the Memphis pick (with another pick) for Garland is probably the more likely consideration in play for the Celtics to go that route. The Hawks reportedly have the No. 8 and No. 10 picks on the table so there will be plenty of options for Pelicans general manager David Griffin to choose from.

The book on Garland as a player is enticing as a potential point guard to build with. He's only 19 years old and is 6-foot-3 but he doubles as one of the best ballhandlers and shot creators in the draft. He missed most of last season at Vanderbilt after undergoing knee surgery but has been impressing scouts at workouts across the country in the past few weeks. His ability to stretch the floor from 3-point range off the dribble should make him an easy fit in any NBA offense and he has the upside to become an All-Star as he rises up the draft board to potentially No. 3 overall.

The odds are against anything come of this pursuit but it shows the wide range of possibilities the Celtics are exploring this week.