The Boston Celtics have made a real attempt to trade within the top-three of the 2020 NBA Draft order. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have looked into trading down from No. 2 overall to add a veteran contributor.
According to ActionNetwork’s Matt Moore, the Celtics and Warriors had ‘exploratory talks’ about a trade that would have featured Marcus Smart and the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
“The Boston Celtics held exploratory talks that would send Marcus Smart to the Golden State Warriors for the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft recently, league sources told The Action Network Wednesday.
“Talks fell through on both sides, sources said, and more discussions are not expected after the Celtics rejected an unknown counteroffer.”
The motivation for the Celtics to trade into the top-three of the 2020 NBA Draft order is quite simple. Boston is in need of bolstering its talent at the center position and would be able to potentially land James Wiseman by gaining the No. 2 spot.
RELATED: This Celtics-Warriors trade would send No. 2 pick to Boston
The Warriors need to do what they can to win-now and adding a player like Marcus Smart would certainly help. Being able to swing additional NBA Draft assets in the process only makes it all the more worthwhile for Golden State.
A couple of potential hang-ups in the negotiations between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors could have been a few main things. Either the Warriors wanted to move Andrew Wiggins’ contract or the Celtics weren’t willing to part with enough NBA Draft compensation.
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