Celts in position to draft Exum or Smart - What would you do?

[obnoxiousmime]

Let's say the Celtics have the 5th or 6th pick and the Wiggins, Embiid, Parker and Randle are gone, leaving Exum and Smart.

1) Do you take Exum, Smart, someone else, or try to trade the pick?
2) If you do take Exum or Smart, and assuming either is the real deal, do you:

• Trade Rondo?
  Re-sign Bradley?
  Re-sign Crawford?

I think right now just based on scouting reports I'd take Exum because he has the potential to be special, he's taller than Smart, and he has more ability to play both guard positions. Though both don't have great shots right now, Exum is supposed to have a smart basketball IQ. I do love Smart's leadership and competitiveness though. It would definitely be a tough call, because Smart at least has two years of college as a track record.

I would then see if Rondo and Exum can play together. If Exum is the real deal and is obviously better at point then I'd consider dealing Rondo since his contract will be up and we don't need two points. The same would apply to Smart.

With Exum on board and having good height, I might be more inclined to overlook Bradley's height disadvantage at SG when deciding how much to offer him.

I don't think either way I keep Crawford unless it's small money. Maybe if Bradley gets some significantly higher offer than Crawford in RFA, I change my mind and consider keeping Crawford over Bradley.

What do you guys think? My guess is regardless of what happens, either Crawford or Bradley will likely not be here next season. That would become a definite if Smart or Exum is drafted.

[BleedGreen1989]

It's pretty amazing that one, or both of Exum and Smart could fall out of the top 5.

Idk anything about Exum so I guess I'd say Smart.

[fairweatherfan]

If you're in a position to draft one of those two you look to trade down first. 

If management really thinks one of those guys is a stud worth building around, we can look into Rondo offers. 

Don't want both Rondo and a high pick PG on the same squad, though, that's a recipe for trouble.

[Mr October]

I wish i could see some full game action of exum. But from what I have read and seen in videos has me thinking he has the potential to be the real deal.

Smart looks good, but i don't trust his shooting ability. I would take exum over him. Exum has the higher ceiling.

In either case, i would try playing either of these guys as shooting guards next to rondo.

Crawford would be expendable in either case. If the celtics picked exum, they could have more leverage to play hard ball with Bradley, 6.5 million annually at the most. If he walks so be it.

If the celtics picked smart, things get a little more complicated. He and rondo are similar in that they are penetration guards, and strong leaders. I am not sure how well they would mesh. Smart's shooting would have to get a lot better, at least to a wade/harden level, if he were to play alongside rondo.

The other player i would give serious consideration to is Noah vonleh. He is raw, but reminds me a lot of al horford, when horford was a freshman.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Exum played on the international youth team with Schroeder at the point and he was just fine at the 2.  I know he primarily plays PG now, but he's 6'6" and can drive and shoot.  I would keep Rondo if we got him and let Bradley walk.  If we got Smart, I guess we would have to trade him or Rondo.  It would be nice to have someone like the Clippers had with Bledsoe last year, but the second the young one ends their rookie contract, it becomes too expensive.  Better cash that chip in now while the value is still through the roof.

Anyways, I would pick Exum.  If we pick 9th or 10th, I would be fine with Gary Harris.  He is a very similar player to Oladipo and he will be better than Bradley in short order. 

[slamtheking]

if Exum looks like he could play SG, I'd take him to play alongside Rondo. 

if he looks like a pure PG (as Smart currently looks), I'd seriously look into making that pick for another team on draft night and making a deal for a superstar or all-star with a lotto-pick in the same draft.

I wouldn't move the pick prior to the draft but would be open to a draft-night deal that would get us a someone excellent to go with Rondo

[VitorSullyandKOFan]

Take Exum he can play SG and it limits his TO because he's turnover prone as a PG.

[sofutomygaha]

With so many picks, we are effectively hedged against the risk of busts. We should be drafting for the highest possible upside and we should welcome risk/reward tradeoffs. There will be more scouting info come draft time, but if it was today that would mean Exum is our guy.

I'm not sure what that means for Rondo long term. Maybe nothing. If it forces us to trade one of them, then it will have been a humungous success. I do know that in a situation like ours, those decisions get made independently. If we had drafted Antetokoumpo last season, "now what do we do with Jeff Green?" would not have been a relevant question.

[Fafnir]

If you're in a position to draft one of those two you look to trade down first. 

If management really thinks one of those guys is a stud worth building around, we can look into Rondo offers. 

Don't want both Rondo and a high pick PG on the same squad, though, that's a recipe for trouble.

Especially with Rondo coming up on FA.

Don't want Rondo to potentially walk for nothing if you can avoid it. Either move down, take someone else, or look to trade Rondo if you think they're a stud whom you can't pass on.

[PaulAllen]

Keep an eye on Noah Vonleah...another freshman with incredibles size and intagibles... a double double machine with more room to grow physically

[CFAN38]

I go with Exum,

I have no doubt that Smart is going to be at least a fringe all-star in his career but I like the high ceiling of Exum. Its hard to judge exum off of all-star appearances and draft page write ups.

If the season and draft does play out where the Cs draft Exum or Smart I dont think this should have any immediate bearing on Avery or Rondo's future. I would hope to see the rookie added to rotation and start out as the teams 6th man. Both Exum and Smart have the size to defend the SG which will be a key for both as pros.

 

[mcq776]

I've got to go with Smart. This kid has that "killer mentality" that Rondo has and that everyone wants Jeff Green to have and has all the skill in the world. He is an incredible athlete and an awesome defender. He could easily play the 2 which, as someone said before, makes resigning Avery Bradley potentially cheaper. In addition, the maturity and leadership that this kid has shown is amazing, and I doubt that there would be any problems between him and Rondo any more than there is problems between Durant and Westbrook or Lebron and Wade. Admittedly I don't know a whole lot about Exum but I think Smart is going to take this league by storm.

[Bosstown]

I think i'd have to go with Exum....kid is 6'6 can play PG and is only 18 or 19. He has a much higher ceiling then Smart who i feel like isn't going to be all that great in the NBA.

[csfansince60s]

Since Zach LaVine has burst onto the scene, I think you have to include him in the conversation.

Kid can shoot the three-ball, and could arguably be the most explosive athlete in this draft.

[billysan]

I would take a look at James Young and Rodney Hood. I do like Smart and have watched him play. I think you have to give serious consideration to Noah Vonleh and Willie Cauley Stein here as well. I just dont know anything about Exum. If he had played in predraft workouts well or other 'higher' levels of competition then you have to consider him.

For me this isnt an 'either or' question, I have to think Danny will take what he and his staff believe is the best player even if it is a PG. None of the PG's available are good enough to supplant Rondo for at least two years and then we can trade him for at least All Star level value or trade the new guy.

Probably Marcus Smart at this stage and he would come off the bench as a combo guard until I saw what I had. I think he has great potential as a defensive stopper and paired with Rondo/Bradley we would be really strong at the guard position (if he can shoot in the NBA).