With under a week until the 2017 NBA Draft, the rumors surrounding the top picks are beginning to heat up.
The Boston Celtics currently own the No. 1 overall pick, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 2 and Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3.
With many premiere prospects, it looks as if all three organizations are in a prime position to land a possible future star, but it appears as if No. 3 might not be good enough for the 76ers and president of basketball operations, Bryan Colangelo.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the 76ers are in serious talks with the Celtics to acquire the No. 1 pick:
League sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me that the Sixers and Celtics are in serious talks on a trade involving the No. 1 overall pick.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 16, 2017
It appears the trade would not involve any current NBA players, but instead a package of the No. 3 pick and future draft picks, via Stein:
Current iteration, per league sources to @espn, is a package of a draft picks from Philly, including No. 3 overall, to the Celtics for No. 1
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 16, 2017
That trade would make some sense for both organizations, as Washington point guard Markelle Fultz is widely viewed as the top prospect in the draft. The Celtics already have an All-Star point guard in Isaiah Thomas though, so a defense-first forward like Josh Jackson seems to be a better fit for Boston, and they would be able to draft him at No. 3 if the Lakers take UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball.
It comes as no surprise that the 76ers are trying to move up to take Fultz, as him being a scoring point guard fits perfectly with the 76ers young core.
The NBA Draft is set for this upcoming Thursday, so the next few days should be filled with all kinds of rumors involving the teams atop the draft board.
