With the NBA Finals coming closer to an end, the NBA Draft is the next big thing on the NBA calendar. The Boston Celtics will be able to start their offseason once that happens.
They are a team that everyone is expecting to be active. They have a lot of salary that they need to shed in order to drop under the second apron.
Doing so could end up making them a worse team, at least for the next couple of seasons. Still, they could decide to make a trade in the draft to grab a player they like.
Right now, the Celtics hold the 28th pick in the first round of the draft. Usually, that pick doesn't end up giving teams a lot of value in terms of the kind of player they can draft.
One player they could be inclined to move up to grab is Cedric Coward. Coward is a guard out of Washington State who could give them some much-needed depth.
If the Celtics are looking to move Jrue Holiday because of his salary, they are going to need to have some depth at the guard position. Payton Pritchard would likely step in as the starter at point guard.
Coward would be a nice backup, though. His ability to shoot and grab rebounds at the guard spot is something that would really help the Celtics in the next few years.
There's a good chance that Coward will not last all the way until the 28th pick, so the Celtics would have to go up and get him.
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Brad Stevens is the one who has to figure out what moves need to be made for the long-term health of the franchise. Getting under the second apron is the top priority for him.
Making a move up the draft would likely mean that the Celtics would have to trade future draft picks in order to land someone with the skills that Coward has.
Last season with Washington State, Coward averaged 17.7 points, seven rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He shot 55.7 percent from the field, too.
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