Does the Celtics #3 pick have any value?

The consensus among experts is there are only two can't miss players, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. I am not a draft expert so I will take their word on it.

However, does that mean the Celtics getting the 3rd pick is devalued? Yes and no. Yes, because the Celtics will probably miss out on the top 2. But no to the fact that the #3 pick has little value.

In my estimation there were only 5 or 6 teams that had a shot of winning the NBA title before the year began (Golden State, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers, Cleveland and, maybe Toronto/Indiana). This like most NBA seasons in the current era, the star players and best teams win it all.

So that leaves 24 teams that, in order to get better, have to see their core mature in to much better players, make a trade, acquire a marquee franchise changing free agent or get lucky in the draft.

Whose core matured this year?  Boston, Portland, Detroit and Minnesota in their own way were the only teams that trended upward. Are any of them championship caliber heading in to next year. No.

How many marquee free agents are available? Durant, then the rest of your Horford, Whiteside, Howard, etc.

Durant is only one player. Wherever he ends up what do the other 29 teams do?

One option is to trade your Player X for their Player Y. Generally nets out to your average guy for their average guy.

So in a roundabout way, the best asset their for the 24 teams that are on the outside looking in is a draft choice. If #1 and #2 are spoken for that leaves #3 as the highest valued chip remaining. Be it through the draft or through a trade. Plus the Celtics can package it with other players, picks to get some decent players off teams that are stuck in no man's land.

Take a look as some of the teams that sucked last year and have zero or one draft choice. All the teams in yellow are better off making a trade for the #3 plus other picks while giving up an NBA upper tier player.

TEAM	W	L	PICKS	PICK #' s
Philadelphia	10	72	3	1, 24, 26
LA Lakers	17	65	2	2, 32
Brooklyn	21	61	1	55
Phoenix	23	59	4	4, 13, 28, 34
Minnesota	29	53	1	5
New Orleans	30	52	3	6, 39, 40
New York	32	50	0	0
Denver	33	49	5	7, 15, 19, 53, 56
Milwaukee	33	49	3	10, 36, 38
Sacramento	33	49	3	8, 29, 59
Orlando	35	47	3	11, 41, 47
Utah	40	42	4	12, 42, 52, 60
Houston	41	41	2	37, 43
Washington	41	41	0	0
Chicago	42	40	2	14, 48
Dallas	42	40	1	46
Memphis	42	40	2	17, 57
Detroit	44	38	2	18, 49
Portland	44	38	0	0
Indiana	45	37	2	20, 50
Atlanta	48	34	3	21, 44, 54
Boston	48	34	8	3, 16, 23, 31, 35, 45, 51, 58
Charlotte	48	34	1	22
Miami	48	34	0	0
LA Clippers	53	29	2	25, 33
Oklahoma City	55	27	0	0
Toronto	56	26	2	9, 27
Cleveland	57	25	0	0
San Antonio	67	15	0	0
Golden State	73	9	1	30