Will the Brooklyn Nets' pick be in the top three?



It's official, Danny Ainge finally pulled it off and traded for his super-star in Kyrie Irving, however he had to give up his cherished 2018 Brooklyn Nets pick.

According to NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Danny Ainge stayed firm on his offer, eventually outlasting the Cleveland Cavaliers by only giving up a second round pick.


The Cavaliers best acquisitions from the trade are, in order, the Brooklyn Nets 2018 first rounder, Jae Crowders' defense and friendly contract, then finally Isaiah Thomas.

For the past two seasons, the Boston Celtics have owned two of Brooklyn's draft picks which have fallen inside the top three. Danny Ainge used those two picks to draft small forwards, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, both who have a bright future ahead.

As a Celtics fan it is difficult to cope with the idea that they will not own a Nets pick in his upcoming draft, however will the pick even be that valuable?

Brooklyn have made steps in the right direction by acquiring D'Angelo Russell, Timofey Mozgov, Allen Crabbe and Demarre Carroll. The Nets now have starter caliber wings in Crabbe and Carroll who will compliment a back court consisting of D'Angelo Russell and Jeremy Lin.

Last season Brooklyn ranked fourth in percentage of shots taken behind the arc, however ranked 26th in three-point percentage. Crabbe, the 25 year old wing shot 44 percent from three-point range for the Portland Trailblazers last season. Crabbe and Russell will help fill Brooklyn's dire need for shooting, and also go-to scorers.

With the upgrade of their roster, it would not be unfathomable if Brooklyn was able to sneak into the playoffs as the eighth seed.



Chicago, Atlanta and Pacers were all playoff teams last season, however all three teams lost big pieces from their rosters. Chicago traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves and completed a buyout with Rajon Rondo. Atlanta traded Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets and lost Paul Millsap during free agency. The Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder and lost Jeff Teague during free agency.

With three playoff spots open and the only surefire teams to make the playoffs being the Celtics, Cavaliers, Wizards and Raptors, the Nets making a run for the playoffs isn't too far stretched.

With this being said, Brooklyn's' 2018 pick might not be as valuable as the past two years.




Photo Credit (NBA Draft): NBA.com

Photo Credit (Brooklyn Nets): Brooklyn Nets Twitter


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