Path to the Draft: Lakers and Celtics

*Disclaimer: since this post was written, the Boston Celtics traded the number 1 overall pick in return for Philadelphia's number 3 overall pick a future first round picks. Despite the Celtics not owning the number 1 pick the stories in this post remain the same*

The NBA Draft takes place tomorrow night. Typically the draft is a time where cellar dwelling teams such as the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic give their fans a slight glimmer of hope as they decide who will be the franchise's next savior. This year, however, features the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Boston Celtics, picking first with their counterparts and arch rivals, the LA Lakers right behind them.

The night of May 16, 2017, the NBA Lottery. That particular night was the culmination of the rebuilding process of two NBA teams that each took complete opposite approaches to the “rebuilding process” that has become such a hot topic over the past few years in the NBA world. The two teams are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, two teams that seem to be joined at the hip since the beginning of time. The Celtics and Lakers have always been in the same conversation whether it’s Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell when the NBA was first starting or the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry in the 1980’s or the Paul Pierce-Kobe Bryant match ups from 2008-2012. The Celtics beat the Lakers to win the franchise’s most recent championship in 2008 while the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010 to win Los Angeles’ most recent championship. Since then both teams have been under a “rebuild” with each team taking different roads to success.

The year was 2013 and both the Celtics and the Lakers finished 7th in their conference and both had been eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Celtics were having to compete with a Miami Heat team that had Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The Lakers were competing in a tougher division with a dominating Spurs team, a Thunder team with two future Hall of Famers and up and coming Warriors and Clippers teams. The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant who was approaching 35 years old while the Celtics were led by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett who were also both approaching their late 30’s. Much like in years past both the Celtics and Lakers were in the same boat and facing similar futures with aging superstars and both franchises needing to make a decision that would impact the team’s for seeable future.

Enter the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets had just finished the team’s first season in Brooklyn after moving from New Jersey and they were looking to make a huge splash in the off season and compete for championships at that very moment. The Nets had a core of Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez who all appeared to be in their primes and Brooklyn was looking to capitalize on that window of opportunity. Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge has never been one to shy away from a deal. After all just a few years prior he had made a blockbuster deal bringing Garnett and Ray Allen to the Celtics constructing a team that would make two NBA Finals and winning one. So when Brooklyn Nets GM Billy King approached Ainge about a potential trade he listened.

July 18, 2013. Paul Pierce looks into the rafters of Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. “I’m used to seeing some banners” Pierce remarked as he stared into the empty rafters after spending 15 years in Boston where 17 Championship banners hang. In the days leading up to that moment Danny Ainge had traded Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and D.J. White to Brooklyn in return for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Marshon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and three first round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018. At the time the trade appeared to doom the Celtics and catapult the Nets into a championship contender. But that was then.

Fast forward to 2014. The Brooklyn Nets had been bounced from the playoffs by the super team that was the Miami Heat. The Celtics had won only 25 games. But that off season Paul Pierce left Brooklyn to join a Washington Wizards team that was looking for a veteran to mentor their young core of John Wall and Bradley Beal. The following season the Nets finished 8th in the East and were eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs. Meanwhile the Celtics took some of the assets they received from the Nets trade and flipped them to acquire Isaiah Thomas. Thomas went on the average 19 Points Per Game and led to Celtics to the 7th seed in the East.

One year following the trade between the Celtics and Nets that sent the NBA into a frenzy the Celtics had already surpassed the Nets. Since then the Nets have been in one word: awful. Kevin Garnett gave one more year to the Nets before leaving for Minnesota. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson were both eventually bought out of their contracts and left to other teams leaving only Brook Lopez from a once promising team and the Celtics have been enjoying the rewards.

Not only were the Celtics able to flip Nets players for two time All-Star Isaiah Thomas they were also able to enjoy the rewards that come from the Brooklyn Nets draft picks. In 2016 the Celtics picked Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick in the draft, a pick that once belonged to the Nets. In the 2016-17 season the Celtics went on to finish in first place in the East and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Not only are the Celtics enjoying success on the court now they also seem to be in the best position to win down the road. This year the Nets won 20 games, good for the worst record in the NBA. Normally in this situation the Nets would most likely be picking first in the draft however in the trade made in 2013 the Nets gave the Celtics the option to swap picks in 2017 so on Tuesday it was the Boston Celtics, not the Brooklyn Nets, who received the number one overall pick in this year’s draft.

The Celtics are only the second team in NBA history to finish first in their conference and also have the first pick in the draft in the same year. Not only do the Celtics have the number one pick this year they also have Brooklyn’s pick next year, and the Nets aren’t getting any better any time soon. So for now the Celtics are winning games and still getting some of the best young players coming out of college all thanks to Danny Ainge and a trade that sent away two Celtics legends in return for a bright future.

Enter the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers have been one of the premier franchises in the NBA since the league began, with names such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Shaquelle O’Neal hanging from the rafters. One name that will be joining them soon is that of Kobe Bryant. Arguably one of the greatest players to ever play, Kobe led to Lakers to five championships and will hold the title as a ‘lifetime Laker’.

Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets out of high school yet never donned a Hornet uniform, in fact unlike Paul Pierce Bryant never wore more than one team’s uniform. The one team being the Lakers.

No one can argue against the greatness of Kobe Bryant however no one can argue against the fact that his production level dropped significantly after 2013. The tail end of Kobe’s career was riddled with injuries that caused Bryant to miss a large chunk of games. But you don’t trade the face of the franchise and one of the franchise’s greatest players of all time, at least the Lakers didn’t think so.

Meanwhile on the opposite side of the country the Boston Celtics traded their two best players for draft picks and role players. The Lakers however refused to even think of trading Kobe, in fact they gave Bryant more money and a new contract. While the Celtics were rebuilding the Lakers were thanking Kobe by giving him 20 million dollars.

Everyone knows how the Celtics story goes by now, they trade their players get draft picks and players. Trade those players for different players. Those players end up being good. They make the playoffs, all the while the draft picks they received end up being top five picks. The Lakers story goes a little bit differently. The Lakers do not trade Kobe. They give Kobe more money. Kobe doesn’t play due to injury. Other players leave the Lakers and they don’t have money to pay new players. They stink. They get draft picks who have to sit behind an old and injured Kobe. Kobe retires and the Lakers finish last year after year before finally firing their GM and team president.

So who’s to say which method of “rebuilding” is better. It’s obvious which one is more successful long term however the debate is between whether a franchise should trade their stars in order to rebuild or keep them around and shower them with cash and celebrations as a way to thank them for everything they did for the franchise. Paul Pierce spent his last four seasons of his career on three different teams. Kobe spent his last season on the Lakers and was given gifts by different teams, was paid millions to essentially wear a jersey and go to games and was celebrated by everyone.

The Celtics were first in the East this year. The Lakers were 14th in the West.

The Celtics have the first pick in the draft. The Lakers have the second.

I’m not here to tell you which is better but the debate is there. As a fan would you rather build for success or sacrifice wins in order to celebrate one of your team's greatest players?