All eyes are on the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers for possible offseason roster changes this summer. The two are respectively the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2017 draft and speculations are going wild on who will end up in which team. There likely will be trades to happen and fresh recruits to be signed.
According to Bleacher Report, the Celtics will certainly make use of top pick it earned to further strengthen an already solid lineup. Hot on the radar of Boston head coach Brad Stevens is Markelle Fultz of the University of Washington. With Fultz on the Green Team for the 2017-18 season, the Celtics will remain on track as the future team to beat and the one to likely frustrate King James's (LeBron) quest of the Cleveland Cavaliers to win as many NBA rings as possible.
The same report suggested the Celtics will romp their way to the Finals in the coming seasons if Stevens could complement Fultz's talents with some prized forward acquisitions, possibly Gordon Hayward from the Utah Jazz or Blake Griffin of the LA Clippers.
Or Boston can opt for some high-profile head hunting and one big name that should be on top of the list is Paul George. The franchise player for the Indiana Pacers has already made clear that leaving his current team is a chief priority and Boston is a destination he would seriously consider.
However, numerous reports have indicated that in the event of a George departure from Indiana the big mans' compass will most likely point to Los Angeles, that is play for the Lakers and perhaps win championships. So the Celtics can instead tempt Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, NJ.com reported, and make an offer that will prove hard to refuse, like dangling the possibility of sending to Knicks way players to help the team's rebuilding efforts.
And speaking of rebuilding, this obviously is what will happen in Lakers' turf with Kobe Bryant officially retired. There were talks the team will want to leverage their No. 2 pick to explore trading options for the fresh and at times explosive D'Angelo Russel, and unsurprisingly numerous parties have expressed keen interest.
Why not as Russel has already proven his worth as a prolific shooting guard who can easily deliver the big points in double figures, nearly in consistent fashion.
With Russel no doubt bursting with talent and will likely further pick up in the coming years, it only makes sense that the Lakers will rebuild around him. Armed with the second overall pick, the Los Angeles Lakers are tipped to choose between Lonzo Ball and De'Aaron Fox. LA's decision will hinge on two things - that in Ball the team will gain a potential superstar in the making in the mold of Kobe Bryant, or they can go for the well-rounded Fox.
Fox becoming a Laker may not be the popular choice but analysts are convinced he, with his offensive and defensive weapons, is the perfect balance for the shooting machine that is Russel.
