Celtics Didn’t ‘Hit The Lottery,’ Now Hold Only One Pick In 2018 NBA Draft
By John ‘The Dude’ Hardiman, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Boston Celtics won big on Tuesday night but not in the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery.
Boston had a slim 2.9 percent chance of landing the 2018 first round L.A. Lakers pick (via Philadelphia 76ers). But unfortunately it didn’t work out for the C’s because the Lakers pick remained at No. 10 and the Phoenix Suns hit the jackpot with the first overall pick.
With the Lakers staying put, the pick will now stay with the Sixers and won’t be shipping up to Boston this go-around.
So now the Celtics will receive the higher of either the Sixers’ or the Sacramento Kings’ first round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft.
But there’s one kicker here. The pick is No. 1 overall protected.
If the pick just so happens to land at No.1, the Sixers will send their own pick to the Celtics to complete the compensation process from the Jayson Tatum/Markelle Fultz deal.
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Looking ahead to next season, don’t go expecting the Kings to improve much, so chances are the pick will come from them.
Especially if Philadelphia maintains “the process” and improves upon this past season, where they finished third in the East and made it all the way to the semifinals of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, where they lost to the Celtics in five games.
Boston has only have one pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after trading their 2018 second round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder back in July of 2015.
The Celtics’ only pick will come in the first round, 27th overall, on June 21.
Watch the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery below:
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UP NEXT: The #2 Boston Celtics (55-27/2-0) will head to Ohio to take on the #4 Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32/0-2) on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Catch the call of the game with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell, live on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pre-game coverage begins at 8:00 p.m., with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m.
John Hardiman is a Digital Producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for John? Hit him up on Twitter @HardiDude or e-mail him at jhardiman@985thesportshub.com.
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