Celtics awarded No. 1 pick in NBA draft after lottery
Mark Murphy Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Credit: Matt West
Danny Ainge/File
COMMENTS
The Celtics finally have found some luck in the NBA lottery.
Boston was awarded the first overall pick in the NBA draft next month when the league held its annual draft lottery tonight.
"It’s a good time to be a Celtics fans," team owner Wyc Grousbeck said on the draft lottery telecast, celebrating the pick a day after his team clinched a berth in the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland, a series that will begin tomorrow night. "I wish the draft were today we could get a little help for tomorrow night. But this is a great night."
The pick comes to the Celtics from the Brooklyn Nets, who finished with the worst record in the NBA this season and traded the right to swap first-round picks to the Celtics in the 2013 deal that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett away from Boston.
This is the first time the Celtics have won the NBA draft lottery, and this was the 13th time the Celtics held a ticket in the event that began in 1985. The team has never picked first in the modern NBA draft.
The Lakers were awarded the second pick, and the 76ers the third.
The Celtics now will hold enormous sway over how the NBA draft plays out next month. They could select a player such as Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz, who are among this year’s crop of highly touted prospects. Or they could trade the pick for a more established player.