Celtics Set To Hit The Lottery With Nets Pick

During the 2013 NBA Draft, Danny Ainge completed a trade with the Brooklyn Nets that has significantly altered the Celtics.

On that June evening, Ainge dealt aging stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets, along with Jason Terry and D.J. White, for a handful of players that I don't care to list here and Brooklyn's first round draft picks in 2014, 2016, and 2018 along with the Celtics having the option to swap first round picks with the Nets in 2017.

At the time, Ainge was trying to rebuild his franchise after Pierce and Garnett had helped lead the Celtics to a championship in 2008 and a follow-up trip to the Finals in 2010.  The Nets were hoping to add Pierce and Garnett to make a championship run of their own as they moved into Brooklyn.

Since the trade, the Nets have fallen apart - mostly because they mortgaged their future for a pair of stars who were no longer capable of leading a team to a title - while the Celtics have slowly put together a team that is on the verge of contending for a title.

While the 2014 Nets pick, James Young, has done little more than star for the Maine Red Claws of the NBADL, the Celtics hold on to this year's Brooklyn pick that can be no worse than sixth overall and are likely to be receiving Lottery picks the next two years as well.

The Lottery drawing for June's draft is tomorrow night.  Just like in 1997 and 2007, Celtics fans are eagerly awaiting good news.  With Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram the top two prizes followed by Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, and Dragan Bender, Ainge will have the option to pick a potential star or package the pick in a move to bring a more established star to Boston as the team chases its 18th championship.

After losing out on Tim Duncan in '97 and Kevin Durant in '07, the Celtics are hoping for a lucky draw that will land them a player that can get them from the first round of the playoffs to the NBA Finals in a hurry.