Written by Mike Vorkunov at New York Times
When the Boston Celtics were announced as the recipient of the No. 1 overall N.B.A. draft pick Tuesday night, the owner Wyc Grousbeck did not celebrate wildly or pump a fist.
Boston had just claimed one of the most prized assets in the league, yet Grousbeck remained calm. The team’s fortunes were already among the highest in the N.B.A., and the pick was just the latest coup.
In 2013, the Celtics traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets for a bounty of first-round picks as Boston chose the future over its aging present. While the Nets hoped to turn into instant contenders, Boston had to wait its turn.
That deal has already paid off — the Celtics received the third overall pick from the Nets last year — and the riches have only continued to pile up.
With the top selection in next month’s draft, the result of a pick swap with the Nets made possible by that 2013 trade, the Celtics will get their pick of a guard-heavy bunch. Markelle Fultz, the presumptive top pick, out of Washington, is theirs if they want him, although point guard Lonzo Ball of U.C.L.A. could be a tempting option.
Whomever they choose, the Celtics will be adding to a team that won 53 games in the regular season and is set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“It’s a good time to be a Celtics fan,” Grousbeck said. “I wish the draft were today. We could get a little help for tomorrow night.”
The Los Angeles Lakers, who were at risk of leaving the lottery empty-handed despite having the third-worst record in the league, landed the second overall pick. If they had fallen outside the top three, their pick would have gone to the 76ers as a result of a Philadelphia trade with Phoenix two years ago.
When the league’s deputy commissioner, Mark Tatum, announced that the Suns, who had the second-best odds for the top pick, had fallen to fourth, Magic Johnson, the Lakers’ president for basketball operations, pumped his fist from the podium at the New York Hilton Midtown.
The 76ers claimed the third overall slot after activating a swap with the Sacramento Kings, who will choose fifth.
The Orlando Magic will pick sixth, followed by the Timberwolves, the Knicks, the Mavericks, the Kings again, the Hornets, the Pistons, the Nuggets and the Heat.
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