By Jack Fritz, Sports Talk Philly editor 
What if I told you that the perfect piece to complete the Sixers' core is in this year's NBA Draft, and it would only take parting with a few "assets" to land him?
Markelle Fultz is that perfect piece that would fit seamlessly next to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, and the addition of him would complete one of the best young cores the NBA has ever seen. Yes, the 6'4 guard from Washington showed the ability to play on-the-ball and off-ball while a member of Huskies and can be a guy that can go out and get you 25+ points if needed. Fultz didn't need the ball in his hands to effect the game while at Washington, even though he showed all the ability in the world at doing so. He would routinely come off screens and pull up for mid-range shots or take a guy all the way to the rim. That plays right into the hands of Simmons, who will be this team's primary initiator. When Simmons isn't needed to initiate the offense, Fultz would have no problem doing so, as he showed really creative vision in his freshman year, even though most of his passes clanked off his inferior teammates hands.
As we all know, finding a guy that can play off-ball next to Simmons and be the secondary initiator is paramount for the Sixers. While I like De'Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball (get Dennis Smith Jr. all the way out of here), why not use the assets that Sam Hinkie left you and go get the perfect fit? That's where I'm at right now.
The great part about the Hinkie set-up is that even if you do move either the Lakers pick or the Sacramento pick, you're not losing a whole draft because of it. You would still have your own pick to continue to build around the core of Fultz, Simmons and Embiid.
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While all the assets in the world can be enticing, for a trade to go down, you still need a dance partner. In order to land Fultz, the Celtics have to be willing to tango.
The Celtics are in a really tough predicament and that's why this trade is hard to come up with. They must decide if they think they're good enough to beat LeBron James next season or if they're going to continue to stockpile assets and wait him out. If they think they're a true superstar away from dethroning "the King," they should trade this pick for either Jimmy Butler or Paul George, extend Isaiah Thomas and go into next season with a starting lineup of Thomas, Bradley, George/Butler, ______, Horford.
However, if they don't think they can beat LeBron until he shows some decline, it would be more wise to hold onto the pick. In that scenario, the Celtics would take Fultz, see if him and Thomas work next to each other, let Isaiah walk after the season if not, re-sign Bradley and build for the 2020s with another Brooklyn pick coming after next season. A core of Fultz, Brown and 2018 Brooklyn pick could be a really good core, but after playing this game for the past two years, I could see them going all in on one of the aforementioned superstars.
It's really a tough decision either way. I think if I was Ainge, I would keep the pick, try to trade Thomas, pursue Gordon Hayward and go from there, but you aren't beating LeBron with a rookie point guard. So while this strategy might be the more effective one, it may require more patience than the Celtics have.
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So, let's say the Celtics are willing to tango, which I would bet they are; what would it take to move up and get Fultz from the Celtics?
Bill Simmons pretty much laid out the framework of this deal on his most recent podcast.
The parameters of the deal were the No. 3 pick, Dario Saric and the Lakers pick for No. 1. I think that's pretty darn close. You move down two spots, take Josh Jackson or Lonzo Ball, you get Dario to start over Amir Johnson, and you still have another high pick next year to couple with your Brooklyn pick. If the Celtics really wanted to get fancy, they could even trade that third pick in a Butler or George deal, get a star and have two top five picks next year. Now, the Celtics could easily hang-up on any incoming call about the pick because, in reality, do they really need more draft assets? Probably not, but assets are always good to have and moving down two spots to take a guy probably doesn't hurt a team like the Celtics that badly, especially if they can still flip that in a Butler or George deal.
From a Celtics perspective this trade makes sense, but does it from a Sixers perspective?
To me, it does. It's essentially the Lakers pick and Dario for the perfect fit. I love Dario as much as the next guy, and it would be tough to see him go, but if we're being realistic about his ceiling, it's nowhere near that of Fultz. Dario is a championship level role player that is going to be of great value to a team, but when you have the chance to get a prospect of the caliber of Fultz, he has to be on the table. Finally, the Lakers pick. Yes, the coveted Lakers pick would probably have to be on the table to get this deal done. Once again, completing the trio is more important than having another good pick next year. With Fultz in play, you can finally build this team into a championship contender. You don't have to spend another year trying to land the perfect fit next to Simmons and you don't have to take a fringe fit just because of your draft circumstances.
Landing Fultz, even if it would require parting with some significant resources is the perfect way to complete the Sixers' core.
