The Boston Celtics got a workout with Markelle Fultz, the NBA’s consensus No. 1 overall pick.
They won’t be getting one with Josh Jackson.
Sources told ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman and Marc J. Spears that Kansas’ wing, who is projected to go in the top five of this year’s prospect pageant, bailed on his scheduled meeting with Boston:
High lottery pick Josh Jackson canceled today's workout with the Boston Celtics, source told me and @MarcJSpearsESPN.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 13, 2017
This, as Silver Screen & Roll’s Harrison Faigen pointed out, will only fuel speculation that the Los Angeles Lakers are prepared to pass on Lonzo Ball for Jackson. And perhaps that’s accurate. The Lakers did, after all, bring Jackson in for a second workout.
But this could also just be Jackson conceding that he won’t go first overall. Fultz is considered the heavy favorite, and he has Ball to contend with if Boston passes. Plus, the Celtics have a ton of wings in Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Jaylen Brown. You can throw Marcus Smart into that equation as well, since he routinely defends 3s. Hell, toss in Gordon Hayward, too. The Celtics are expected to chase him in free agency.
Indeed, Boston has shown it’ll reach for a wing in the recent past. Taking Brown at No. 3 last year was considered a dice roll. That Jackson would willingly remove himself from the No. 1 conversation is weird.
At the same time, if he wants to ensure he ends up with a team that offers plenty of playing time and isn’t all that likely to use him as trade bait before next February, ignoring the Celtics altogether is a smart play.
