Tag: 2013 NBA Draft

Four Boston Celtics on the move in 2013 NBA re-draft

Among the cadre of present and former Boston players, we see reserve guard Shane Larkin, backup big man Daniel Theis, reserve center Mike Muscala, and veteran big Kelly Olynyk all shift positions in terms of where they were actually drafted.

Hoops Hype’s Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon are at it again with a redraft of the class of players who were in the 2013 NBA draft, and a number of Boston Celtics alumni saw their fortunes change in this hypothetical redux of the first draft of the Celtics’ post-Banner 17 rebuild.

Among the cadre of present and former Boston players, we see reserve guard Shane Larkin, backup big man Daniel Theis, reserve center Mike Muscala, and veteran big Kelly Olynyk all shift positions in terms of where they were actually drafted — or in some cases, passed over entirely by teams in control of a pick.

With all of that said, let’s see where this foursome of Celtics alumni has landed had the 2013 draft gone the way these two Hoops Hype analysts envision it would if held today.

Thunder wanted to draft and stash Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013 NBA draft

“They said they loved his tape. But they also said they wanna send him back to Europe for a few years to develop.”

In the Giannis Antetokounmpo movie “Rise,” it was revealed that the Oklahoma City Thunder had interest in the two-time MVP during the 2013 NBA draft.

The Thunder were wanting the young Antetokounmpo to stay overseas for a couple of years before playing in the NBA as a draft and stash candidate.

“They said they loved his tape. But they also said they wanna send him back to Europe for a few years to develop.”

The Thunder were in the middle of a championship window and were able to get the No. 12 pick from the Toronto Raptors in the James Harden trade to the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder ultimately did not take Antetokounmpo and instead took Steven Adams at No. 12. Antetokounmpo was taken at No. 15 by the Milwaukee Bucks.

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New video shows just how close the Raptors came to drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Raptors tried so hard.

There are always a bunch of “what if” stories that come with every draft class in the NBA.

What if the Trail Blazers took Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie? What if the Knicks beat the Warriors to Stephen Curry? What if Shaq actually stays in Orlando with the Magic? The list goes on and on.

Now, we can add a new one. What if the Raptors actually drafted Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013?

They were trying their hardest to do so. A clip from the Raptors’ new “Open Gym” documentary series on TSN shows GM Masai Ujiri and his assistant, Bobby Webster, frantically making trade calls to try and get Giannis.

In the video, they tried to move up and reclaim the 12th pick — that was originally theirs, by the way — from the Oklahoma City Thunder. They also tried to snag the 14th pick from the Timberwolves, but couldn’t make a deal.

No dice. Ultimately, the Raptors didn’t have a draft pick that year so they didn’t end up picking a player.

And it didn’t really matter in the long run. Six years later, they end up winning a championship with Kawhi Leonard. So, ultimately, they got what they wanted.

But, man. Just think about it. Giannis on those Raptors with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan both in their primes? That’s a squad, yo. Unfortunately, we never got to see it.

I’ll tell you what, though. The Raptors definitely have their free agency pitch now if Antetokounmpo hits the market.

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