Would a Boston Celtics Draft Trade Affect Dallas?

If the Boston Celtics do shake the draft up at top, will it affect the Dallas Mavericks’ situation sitting at the ninth spot?

For weeks, Markelle Fultz has been atop of everyone’s mock drafts going to the Boston Celtics with the first overall pick.

The Lakers are sending their smokescreens and Philadelphia is sitting back watch the two long-time rivalries make their news at the top.

But Philadelphia could be tired of watching and looks to be ready to cash in on ‘The Process’.

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 (@TheSteinLine) June 16, 2017

Some might think any news of this sort a week before the draft is just smoke, but both ESPN and Yahoo were on the record in reporting these negotiations. As far as the details of massive deal, nobody quite knows.

First round picks in possession of Philly look to be in the deal while some players could find themselves in the deal also.

So if the deal did finalize before the draft, would it affect the Dallas Mavericks sitting at the ninth spot?

If Philadelphia did move up to the first pick, it would be to grab Markelle Fultz to pair with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid moving forward. For the sake of mock drafts, things wouldn’t change with Fultz still going number one.

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The question now comes to Boston at three. Many assume Josh Jackson would be the pick but Jayson Tatum and De’Aaron Fox could get some attention at the spot. Either way, Boston picking one of those players doesn’t really affect Dallas that much as those players were already predicted to be gone.

The slightest of impact it could have on Dallas is that it eliminates the possibility of Philadelphia reaching for Dennis Smith Jr. or Malik Monk at the third pick. Both players would fit their system well and could have been a surprise pick for Philly at the third pick.

Now, if Philly moves up to one, I would say it increases the odds of Smith Jr. and/or Monk being there at nine for Dallas. You can take that as a positive or negative depending on how you few those two in Dallas.

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Big picture, it wouldn’t affect Dallas that much as the same top five prospects look to be the top five picks in some order, but if you’re hoping for Monk or Smith Jr., your odds might increase if this deal becomes official.