Danny Ainge Is Reportedly Trying To Move Up In The Draft, So Who Does He Want?

I've said it before, but I'm a big KOC guy dating back to his days when he wrote for CelticsBlog. Guy is connected. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw that little nugget. It's so perfect and so predictable I can barely contain myself. I know today is going to mostly be a shitshow, but this is another sign that nature must be healing. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY wants you to know he's trying to make a draft day trade more than my close personal friend Danny Ainge. You already know the lines that will come on November 19th when the Celts weren't able to actually package any of these picks. 

"We're always making calls and having conversations in an effort to make our team better"

"Sometimes you think you have a deal and it falls apart at the last second"

"Maintaining flexibility is important and at some point you have to be willing to walk away"

"It takes two sides to make a trade and we just weren't able to come to an agreement, but we were interested for sure"

I love it. I need it. I crave it. Every year it's the same thing whether it's at the draft or at the trade deadline. Now I have to be consistent here. I'm pretty sure I officially stripped Danny Ainge of the Trader Danny title until he proved he deserved to have it back. Guy has been the opposite of Trader Danny as of late, especially when it came to his 10,000 draft picks in recent years. I think we all were under the impression he would pull a move like this last year, and he kept every pick he had. Maybe use a couple of those to move up a spot and take Tyler Herro who of course we heard he was in on. What do I know though. 

So sure, I'll buy into this "report" that Ainge is trying to move up. Deep down I know it's probably not going to happen, but I'm willing to dream. Let's be honest, the team flat out does not have the roster spots to fit everyone AND sign the needed minimum veterans to get this team to a Finals. They have to either punt on some picks into future drafts, draft some guys they can stash overseas, or condense picks and move up. If he is going to try and move up, it's not like those picks are going to get them in the high lottery without attaching a main talent piece to it, so who could he be targeting that is somewhat in their range?

1. Oneya Okongwu

This has to be the leader in the clubhouse right? A quick scan of different mocks tells me Okongwu is slated around 9th depending on where you look. The Wizards, who pick 9th, are in a rebuild. You know what you need in a rebuild? Cheap young players/picks. Okongwu draws comparisons to guys like Bam, which I'm pretty sure this team could use. 

2. Killian Hayes

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This one might be a bit of a pipedream because Hayes from what I've seen is slated to go just outside the top 5, but I could understand Ainge's interest. Backup point guard is a big time need on this roster right now. You need Kemba insurance, Wanamaker might be gone in free agency, and I don't think Carsen or Tremont are legit ready just yet. Hayes has great size at 6'5, can play on or off the ball, and would help sure up that position of need. I don't want to say this, but it would also give you protection in the event there was a deal out there where you needed to include Marcus Smart. 

3. Aaron Nesmith/Saddiq Bey

I'm grouping these guys together because they are probably the two best shooters that are slated to go in the late lottery. Basically my thought is Ainge would try and avoid another Herro situation. Move up a few spots and take the #1 shooter on their board, whoever that might be. It shouldn't take all three picks to move up 1 or 2 slots, so while I think this may not be what he's trying to do by packaging his 3 picks, I can see him taking like 14 + 30 and moving up one or two slots to take the shooter that this team needs. 

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Hayward insurance maybe? Vassell is slated to be at the lower half of the top 10, from what I read is a defense ready wing who is a legit shooter. We know Danny Ainge loves wings, and if Hayward isn't in the long term plans, they could be pretty thin at that position fairly quickly. 

All I know is we're 15 days away from the Draft and I have no doubt we're going to get more leaks and reports like this. Classic misdirection. Maybe Ainge is just helping out a buddy and allowing the Celts to be mentioned so another team ends up having to pay more in a different trade. That wouldn't surprise me. Part of my brain knows that if we hear about an Ainge trade before it happens that usually means it's bullshit, but 2020 is a weird year. Anything is possible, apparently including Danny Ainge actually being willing to part with low first round picks. 

Can't wait to draft all three guys instead!