What if the Boston Celtics never traded the No. 1 pick in 2017?

What if the Boston Celtics never traded the No. 1 pick in 2017?

Let’s go back in time a little bit to the 2017 NBA Draft. After tearing down their entire team, the Boston Celtics found themselves with the No. 1 pick. The Philadelphia 76ers, in the midst of “The Process,” were looking to find that final piece to the puzzle. The top-three prospects — Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum — were all great in their own right. Still, many people still suspected the Celtics would select Fultz out of Washington.

But prior to the draft, the Celtics and Sixers made a move that shocked the NBA world, and it’s a decision that has had immense ripple effects for both franchises, though not for the same reasons.

The Celtics traded the No. 1 pick to the 76ers in exchange for the No. 3 pick and a future first-round pick for either 2018 or 2019. Philadelphia ended up taking Fultz and Tatum fell to the Celtics at No. 3, while Boston’s converted 2019 first-round pick eventually became Romeo Langford (at No. 14), who eventually got flipped for Derrick White.

The rest, as they say, was history.

But what would have happened if this trade never happened and say the Sixers ended up with Tatum?

Tatum partakes in ‘The Process’:

This draft was such a big one for the Sixers. Joel Embiid was starting to make a leap and Ben Simmons was giving Sixers fans a lot to be excited about. Still, Philadelphia still found themselves towards the top of the draft after another disappointing season.

The slogan “Trust the Process” was dubbed but fans were starting to get impatient. This was supposed to be the draft they got that final piece and became serious title contenders. But instead, they took Fultz, who became plagued with injuries and quite literally forgot how to shoot a basketball.

Markelle Fultz's shooting form has come a long waypic.twitter.com/YW3Anjr22H

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) September 9, 2022

I’m sorry for subjecting your eyes to that, but if I had to see it, then so do you. Clearly, Fultz never really panned out, and was quickly shipped off to Orlando — throwing “the process” a little behind schedule. If Tatum had ended up on the Sixers, I have no doubt that they would be champions by now.

For a second, just imagine Tatum and Embiid on the same team. You have a pair of top-10 players in the NBA, and I really don’t know how any team would be able to stop both of them. Plus, with the supporting cast they would have had, I think it’s fair to say at least one championship would have been won.

Ainge likely would have been fired sooner:

Now, I know at the time of writing this that Danny Ainge has since moved on from his duties as president of basketball operations in Boston.

But if this trade backfired, like many thought it would, he easily would have been run out of town. Ainge took a huge risk with this trade. It’s one thing to trade the top pick, but it’s an entirely different risk to make that trade with a conference rival.

Had the 76ers taken Tatum and emerged as the powerhouse in the East, while the Celtics were left with Fultz and his issues, I think it’s very fair to think that a move like that would lead to you being fired.

To Ainge’s credit, he knew the risk he was taking and believed in the scouting and intel he had been fed. He knew that Tatum would still be there at No. 3, and therefore felt no issue trading down. It was a calculated risk that has paid dividends for the Celtics.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, the 2017 draft is one I, a Sixers fan, try to forget. I am not fond of the Celtics and reliving how we got fleeced is something I do not enjoy. It was the draft that was supposed to complete “the Process.” Six years later and “the Process” is still in effect with dwindling hopes of a championship.

For the Celtics? Well, they have emerged as one of the best teams in the East and have a very bright future with Jaylen Brown and Tatum. They should be a formidable foe in the East for years to come, and will very likely see a championship in the near future, should both remain in Boston.

It’s a trade that put two teams in two different directions. It destroyed the progress being made in Philly, while also setting up a potential dynasty in Boston. Truth be told, I don’t know why I said I would write this. It just brings up way too many painful memories and gives me false hope about what could have been.

I haven’t seen the 76ers make a damn conference championship. It’s been a lot of losing, and picking at the top of drafts, and could have been countered by hitting on the 2017 Draft.

The NBA in tiers: 2023 championship contention.

But alas, what is done is done. The Celtics secured a generational talent while the 76ers were left with a mentally broken Fultz. I’d say it hurts but I’d like to think I’ve numbed myself to this kind of pain.

So instead, I’ll just have to continue to sit back and think about the dynasty that could have been in Philly. Guess it’s time to fire up 2K and turn this dream into a reality. It’s real If I believe it enough, right?

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