Is the general consensus that we don't want this pick to convey this year because it's a weak draft?
1) It’s a weak draft at the top, but is reasonably deep.
2) Unprotected picks from likely lottery teams are just more valuable on the trade market. Furthermore, if Memphis picks in the top 6 this year and the Celtics really want someone who is there at #7, they could make that swap in an instant with whomever is at #7.
3) It will be much easier to avoid the luxury tax next season if the pick doesn’t convey than if it does. Missing next year would restart the clock on being repeater-tax eligible.
Also have to consider roster constraints.
C's have 15 players now + 2 two-ways a lot of people are excited about and I'm sure want to stick around.
They already have 2 1st round draft picks next year (their own + Bucks), so that's 2 more roster slots you need.
Sure a trade could clear some of that up (one of those 4-for-1's that have been talked about so much here
), but you don't want to be forced to make a trade or draft a player to stash (like Yabusele) because you don't have room for them. You want to get top dollar for your assets, not be forced to sell them off at a discount or lose them for nothing. Also good to maintain flexibility to make trades as they arise.
No point in having so many young players on your roster if you don't have the opportunity to properly develop them and give them minutes. Even if you drop the players with the smallest fan clubs (Wanamaker, Ojeleye, Green, Poirier) there's not going to be any minutes available to develop new players if you're still trying to develop Time Lord, Langford, G. Williams, Edwards, Tacko, and Waters.