The last time Boston traded its no. 1 pick, a domination began

A huge pre-draft trade paved the way for Boston's rise to power during the 80's.

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Thanks to a blockbuster trade that sent Paul Pierce to Brooklyn, Boston was poised to become the first team since 1982 that entered the preceding playoff as a top seed yet owns the number one pick of the NBA Draft.

But thanks to a huge trade on Tuesday (Philippine Time), the Celtics became the first team to send its top overall pick elsewhere since 1993.

However, this is not the only time they sent the first pick to another team.

Boston actually owned the first overall pick of the 1980 NBA Draft until a day before it.

The Celtics got the said selection as part of a 1979 trade that sent Bob McAdoo to the Detroit Pistons. The Celtics also got the Pistons' 1982 first round pick.

However, Boston pursued Robert Parish, so the team asked Golden State, which at that time also owned the third pick, for a swap of picks plus Parish. The latter said yes.

The result: the Warriors now owned the first pick and the 13th pick, while the Celtics had Parish and the third pick.

Golden State would bring in two big men with those picks, Joe Carroll at number one and Rickey Brown at number 13.

Carroll had a decent NBA career with a twist of Italian basketball within it. Carroll became an all-star in 1987, but he never won an NBA ring.

His one and only season in Lega Basket Serie A, however, turned out to be fruitful as Simac Milano would win the 1985 title.

Meanwhile, Brown did not find success in his five years in the NBA, but he found greener pastures in Europe, winning the Euroleague title in 1988 and the ACB Liga championship in 1993.

Who did the Celtics choose with the third pick? A former Minnesota Gopher named Kevin McHale.

McHale and Parish would form arguably the most prominent frontline in the history of the Celtics with Larry Bird, establishing the foundation for their 80's domination that netted them three NBA titles in five years from 1981-1986.

Now that Boston gave up its first pick--and the opportunity to grab Markele Fultz--for, coincidentally, the third pick and a future pick, can the team lure a player that could complete Coach Brad Steven's dream lineup? We can only find out on Friday (Philippine Time).

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