Cooper Flagg grew up watching videotapes of the Larry Bird Celtics on drives to youth basketball games in his parent’s mini-van.
The Newport, Maine native and projected No. 1 pick in next month’s NBA Draft also attended a Celtics game this season.
The Celtics even met with Flagg at last week’s NBA Draft Combine, according to Yahoo! Sports’s Kevin O’Connor. Flagg meet with several teams, including the the Celtics and the meeting was set up before the Draft Lottery on May 12, NJ Advance Media has learned.
Is Boston trying to work some magic to acquire the Duke freshman in some kind of blockbuster trade ahead of the Draft?
ESPN’s Jay Williams suggested Dallas deal Flagg in a potential trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker or Tyrese Maxey, but the Mavericks have already let it be known that they plan to select the 6-foot-9 Flagg with the No. 1 pick to pair him with fellow Duke product Kyrie Irving (once he returns from ACL surgery) and big man Anthony Davis.
But the Celtics did their due diligence anyway.
“We can rank who we want to talk to and the people we know we can’t get in to work out is how we decide who we want to talk to at the combine,” Celtics president Brad Stevens told reporters Monday. “Otherwise, we may never get to talk to them again. So, the only people that will come in and work out for us are the people in our range or maybe they’re at the bottom end of our range or whatever the case may be.”
“That doesn’t really have anything to do with any of that,” Stevens added. “Will there be fireworks on draft night, I can’t imagine but again, who knows? I wouldn’t guess with us, no.”
Boston also reportedly met with projected lottery pick wing Tre Johnson of Texas, but both he and Flagg will be long gone by the time the Celtics pick at Nos. 28 and 32.
And though the Celtics may have to shed some salary ahead of the 2025-26 season as they prepare to play without the injured Jayson Tatum, a blockbuster deal may be unlikely.
“I think generally, one of the concerns with the new CBA was it might limit trade activity or movement and I don’t know,” Stevens said. “I don’t think necessarily in the big picture that’s the case.”
“No specifics at all, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see movement continue to happen across the league,” he added. “But, as far as us and moving up to those levels in the draft, I would guess that is probably not on the table.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoriaand check out his Website atZAGSBLOG.com.