By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 
If you told me even a week ago that this was going to be the headline of the NBA Draft this season, I would've called you ridiculous.
After the Sixers were given the third overall pick by way of the lottery, it seemed like everything was locked into place. The Sixers wouldn't be getting the player they absolutely wanted, but would settle for a player that could help out their franchise anyway.
Josh Jackson was a name that has floated around Sixers camp for weeks, and even Malik Monk was another player the media had hoped would be wearing blue and white next season.
However, today, as the NBA offices opened for the new week, there has been a trade. The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a deal with the Boston Celtics for the first overall pick, as they plan to take point guard Markelle Fultz. Here is an official release from the Sixers official site, detailing the trade and pick protections:
Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today that the team has acquired the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft from the Boston Celtics.
In exchange, the team sends the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and a future first-round pick to Boston.
The future first-round pick that Boston will receive will be the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, provided that such pick is No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, or No. 5 in the 2018 NBA Draft. If the Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick is No. 1 or is No. 6 or later, the Sixers will instead convey to the Celtics the rights to the more favorable of the Sixers’ own 2019 first-round pick or the Sacramento Kings’ 2019 first-round pick, provided that the more favorable pick is not the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. If the more favorable of the Sixers’ and Kings’ 2019 first-round picks is the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Sixers will instead convey the rights to the less favorable of those two picks.
The Sixers will send No. 3, along with a scenario that will include the '18 Laker pick OR the '19 Kings pick depending on protection rights.
Markelle Fultz has been the guy that the Sixers have coveted since March, ever since Fultz attended a game at the Wells Fargo Center and told the media that he 'trusted the process.'
And through all the trials and tribulations, it seems that the Sixers will finally get their man, and their second-straight number one overall pick.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of this trade, which puts us in the enviable position of selecting first overall in consecutive draft years,” Colangelo said. “History suggests that No. 1 has the greatest odds of producing franchise-level talent and we are confident that this year’s draft class has that very potential. Thursday night will see us take another significant step toward building a successful and sustainable basketball program.”
The NBA Draft is on Thursday night, and there will be a celebration in Philly for the second-straight year.
