When the Boston Celtics agreed to trade the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft in principle to the Philadelphia 76ers, it meant a few different things. The first, and most obvious, is that the Celtics are extremely unlikely to land coveted prospect and former Washington guard Markelle Fultz.
Fultz, who was widely viewed as the best player in the draft, is someone who many Celtics fans had gotten on board with. Apparently, one fan was fully expecting Boston to select the guard, as they had purchased a custom-made Celtics jersey, complete with Fultz’s name and assumed number. As you can see in the video above, posted on GreenRunsDeep’s Instagram, that fan is now pretty angry about the whole ordeal.
The post says “Bye @MarkelleFultz it’s like I never knew ya. #Celtics #NoSaltJustGasoline #NotMyPointGuard.”
Brutal, but unfortunately, it’s all but a foregone conclusion that the 76ers are going to select Fultz at No. 1 overall, according to TNT’s David Aldridge.
Trade between Philly and Boston will be finalized on Monday, per source. Sides have agreed. Sixers will get first pick and take Fultz.
Apparently, 76ers big man and fan favorite Joel Embiid may have already seen this coming, as he posted this photo on his Instagram just hours before the deal was finalized.
The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski also broke down the terms of the trade between the Celtics and 76ers. For what it’s worth, the fact that Boston is loading up on draft picks should only help to make things a bit better for the disgruntled fan.
Clarification on deal: Besides its 2017 FRP, Philly sends ’18 Lakers pick w/ protections. If it doesn’t convey, 76ers send 2019 Kings pick.
The Celtics also would have added a player in Fultz who, like Jaylen Brown last year, may have not seen as much playing time as he would on another team, due to Boston’s depth. Even still, Fultz seems to be one of the top two or three prospects in the draft and is receiving rave reviews building up to the draft.
Fultz’s upside seems so impressive that even Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson was rumored to be interested in trading up for him. With it now being a foregone conclusion that the 76ers will take Fultz, the Lakers will likely take Lonzo Ball, which leaves the Celtics with plenty of impressive players to choose from. The question is, which player can help them win immediately, as Boston is certainly in win-now mode.