Boston Moved Down Two Spots and Secured Another First
On June 19, 2017, Boston sent the first selection in that week's NBA Draft to Philadelphia for the third pick and a future first-round selection subject to detailed protections. The Sixers wanted Washington guard Markelle Fultz and paid for the right to select him without waiting. Boston's front office believed it could move down, retain access to a favored prospect and gain another meaningful draft asset. The extra pick wasn't automatically a 2019 selection at the time: the agreement first tested a protected 2018 Lakers pick, with an alternative 2019 path if those conditions weren't met.
The Third Pick Became Jayson Tatum and a Championship Cornerstone
Philadelphia used No. 1 on Fultz, but Boston selected Duke forward Jayson Tatum at No. 3. Tatum developed into a principal scorer, an All-NBA-level forward and the centerpiece of repeated Celtics playoff runs. He led the team's scoring during the 2024 championship season and scored 31 points in the Finals-clinching win over Dallas. Those are concrete Boston outcomes from the pick obtained in the swap, not merely a scouting projection preserved from draft night. Selecting Tatum despite trading down is what makes the deal unusually valuable in hindsight.
Philadelphia's Fultz Return Ended After Just 33 Games
Fultz's Philadelphia tenure never produced the long-term lead guard the Sixers imagined when they moved up. He played 14 regular-season games as a rookie and 19 more in 2018-19, with health and shooting difficulties disrupting his time alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Philadelphia moved him to Orlando in a separate February 2019 transaction. His later NBA progress with the Magic belongs to that franchise's record, not Philadelphia's return for the 2017 pick swap. The original gamble was understandable because Fultz was a highly regarded prospect, but the resulting 33-game Sixers stint left an enormous opportunity cost.
The Conditional Extra First Eventually Became Romeo Langford
Boston also realized the conditional second component of its return when the first-round obligation conveyed in 2019. That selection landed at No. 14 and was used on Romeo Langford, who became a Celtics depth prospect rather than a star matching Tatum. The smaller return is still a genuine additional draft opportunity Philadelphia surrendered to climb from third to first. Boston's advantage isn't based on pretending Langford enjoyed Tatum's career or that the second pick was fixed in the initial deal. The central comparison is a future championship leader plus a separate first-round chance against Fultz's very brief Philadelphia tenure.
Final Verdict
Celtics Win. Boston earns A+ because moving from No. 1 to No. 3 still yielded Jayson Tatum, a driving force behind the Celtics' 2024 NBA title, and another first-rounder eventually used on Romeo Langford. Philadelphia receives F because its 2017 No. 1 choice, Markelle Fultz, appeared in just 33 regular-season Sixers games before a separate trade to Orlando. The protected extra pick increased the cost of an already unfortunate Philadelphia outcome.