Sixers, Celtics discuss deals before draft
CAMDEN, N.J. — Markelle
Fultz worked out for Philadelphia on Saturday night, as the 76ers continued moving toward potentially acquiring the No. 1 pick from the Boston Celtics and having the chance to make the first overall selection for the second consecutive season.
The 76ers and Celtics are discussing a deal where Boston would send the No. 1 spot in the draft Thursday night to Philadelphia for the No. 3 pick this year and future selections.
Fultz — donning a Philadelphia cap as he arrived at the team’s practice facility — visited the 76ers on Saturday in a hastily arranged get-to-know-you session, with the workout and meeting with team officials on his itinerary. His visit is likely one of the final hurdles to clear before Boston and Philadelphia could decide to actually consummate the trade.
If the deal goes down, the first four spots in the draft order would exactly mirror the first-four order from last year. Philadelphia would have the No. 1 pick, the Los Angeles Lakers would choose No. 2, Boston would go No. 3 and Phoenix has No. 4.
Fultz’s rise to stardom has been rapid. In 2014, he was playing junior varsity basketball in high school. Barely three years later, he’s almost certainly going to become the No. 1 pick — and if he gets to start his pro career by calling Philadelphia his new home, he’ll be living roughly a 21/2-hour drive from his hometown of Upper Marlboro, Md.
The 6-4 guard averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 25 games during his lone college season at Washington, excelling on a team that finished 9-22 and lost its final 13 games. Fultz led the Pac-12 in scoring, finished sixth among all Division I players, and was the top freshman scorer in the country.
A league source said late Saturday night that the trade could be finalized as early as Monday. This came hours after word out of Boston held that the Celtics don’t want to finalize the deal until the night of the draft.
The update could mean that Boston is close to getting assurances it will also get the player it covets — Kansas’ Josh Jackson — with the third pick.