The NBA Draft is barely a month away and many teams may perhaps be trying to position themselves to get some talent from this year's batch of NBA Draft hopefuls.
The Boston Celtics, who somehow managed to slip into the NBA playoffs, continue to rebuild and word has it that the team is keenly interested in the services of 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein.
A product of Kentucky, Cauley-Stein could be a mid-round acquisition if the NBA Draft rumors are consistent. The Celtics don't have a lottery pick but will take a crack at the rookie pool at the 16th position.
However there is a cloud of doubt on whether the Celtics would still be able to get their hands on the Kentucky player, someone who could be gone in the first ten picks.
With that in mind, the Celtics may have to trade up as they try to beef up their frontline for the 2015-16 NBA season. No team has expressed close interest on the 7-footer but if the Celtics truly want to acquire him, they need to find a way to move up the NBA draft order.
At the moment, the Celtics have two first-round draft picks. If they are to move up, they would have to trade their first rounder to move up.
Projected as a high to mid-round candidate, Cauley-Stein could be a big boost to the Boston frontline especially if they fall short of landing their free agent targets.
Among the names the Celtics are reportedly eyeing are DeMarcus Cousins, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe and Kevin Love. If they fail to land any of them, the recourse towards Cauley-Stein could be their back-up plan.
The Celtics have the benefit of working around a flexible cap space but with other teams expected to make an aggressive pitch to the targeted free agents they have in mind, Danny Ainge and the Celtics may have to get into the groove and cook up something as well.
And from the looks of it, if they are intent on getting Caulety-Stein, an aggressive move may have to start right now.
