Volume 5: Unrivaled

People were all guessing why the Celtics had chosen Markkanen, and why the Lakers had suddenly changed their target. The Lakers already had Ingram, so why draft Tatum too? Their positions overlapped, and neither would develop well. "A Finn can go in the top three? What a joke!" Markkanen, seated at the edge of the green room, wore an utterly disbelieving expression. After hearing Silver call his name, he froze for a moment before coming to his senses. He gave his equally stunned parents, agent, and girlfriend tight hugs, then quickly walked onto the stage. But the Leonard trade was only the beginning. Wojnarowski immediately followed up with a tweet: At that moment, Silver loudly announced: There were too many low-ranked prospects discovered by Zhang Yu, and everyone wanted a piece of the action. "It's fine. There's no way you'll fall out of the top three. Going to the Celtics isn't bad either. Isaiah Thomas didn't play well in the playoffs, so you'll have a great opportunity..." Only then did people realize that a massive earthquake was coming. Durant's outstanding performance this season had given them ample confidence, and they lambasted Danny Ainge. Some commentators also questioned Danny Ainge's choice. Markkanen bowed as he accepted the hat, put it on, posed for a photo with Silver, and smiled brilliantly. After that, the rest of the first round proceeded roughly as people had predicted, with no more major surprises. "The Celtics have made a trade with the Warriors, sending Jaylen Brown, Markkanen, and draft picks as the main pieces in exchange for Leonard." Third overall was fine. At least he wouldn't have to tank with the Lakers. Riding Durant's coattails wasn't bad either... June 23, New York, Barclays Center. The Celtics sent Jaylen Brown, Jonas Jerebko, Markkanen, first-round picks in 2019