The Philadelphia 76ers have eyes for Providence’s Kris Dunn.
By extension, they’re still lusting after the Boston Celtics’ No. 3 pick in the June 23 draft, according to CSNNE’s Tim Welsh (h/t Celtics Blog):
“Philly has told Kris Dunn’s camp and his agent they are trying to push the buttons to have this happen before the draft,” Welsh said. “They’ve been in Providence locked in to the city talking to everyone that’s ever encountered Kris Dunn. They are putting the full court press on the Celtics to acquire the third pick. It could go down in the next two days, so we’ll see. Boston has the upper hand in knowing what Philly wants.”
Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor will be the primary bait for this trade. And if the Celtics are smart, in addition to asking for more than just either one of those players, they’ll make sure to favor Noel over Okafor.
Yes, Noel will be a restricted free agent in 2017, requiring a long-term invest. But he is an excellent pick-and-roll prospect, and his defense already pins him to some of the best bigs in the league. He protects the rim, jumps passing lanes and can switch onto smaller ball-handlers. That fits the Celtics’ defensive model to a T.
Okafor does add a post presence, something the Celtics don’t really have. But they don’t need one. Not when the post game in question doesn’t come with a ready-made jump shot or any defensive upside.
The Celtics are savvy and methodical, so they know all this. And truth told, it would be a surprise to see them fork over the No. 3 pick for a package that included either Noel or Okafor on their own anyway. But if they do grant the Sixers’ wish, they’d do well to make sure it’s for taking a flier on Noel over Okafor.
