Celtics Land 3rd Overall Pick In 2016 NBA Draft Lottery
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics got a little bit of luck on Tuesday night, but not as much as most Boston fans were hoping for.
The Celtics received the third overall pick at Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery. They had a 15.6 percent chance at landing that pick heading into the evening. Their best chance entering the NBA Draft Lottery was to land the fifth overall pick at 26.5 percent, with a 22.6 percent chance at the fourth overall selection.
"There are a lot more things to be disappointed about in this life. It could have been worse, it could have been better," Celtics president Danny Ainge said shortly after the lottery. "It is what it is and we'll do what we can to build a good team.
"We believe a good player will come out of this draft and I can't wait to continue the process," Ainge added.
Ainge said he wasn't sure what the Celtics will do at the moment, but if they keep the pick they'll take the best available player. Now the task is determining who that player is over the next five weeks.
"We're in the middle of that process right now, figuring out who's in the draft and who's the best fit for us," he said. "We'll also probably get some calls for that pick. I'm guessing, so there'll be discussion of that too. But right now we're really in the mode of preparing for the draft."
The Philadelphia 76ers won the lottery and received the first overall selection, while the Los Angeles Lakers received the second pick.
Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas represented the team at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, wearing a green tie (and green underwear) for good luck. A Boston fan caught up with him earlier Tuesday and gave him a bag of Lucky Charms cereal in hopes of giving Boston even more luck on Tuesday.
The Celtics received Brooklyn's pick this year from the 2013 trade that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets. The Celtics also own Brooklyn's first-round pick in 2018 and the rights to swap picks in 2017.
Boston also owns the 16th overall pick (via the Dallas Mavericks from the 2014 Rajon Rondo trade) and the 23rd overall selection, as well as five picks in the second round, at the June 23rd NBA Draft.
