BOSTON – Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has a track record of taking gambles on players with injury risks on draft night. He selected Avery Bradley at No. 19 in 2010 and Jared Sullinger at No. 21 in 2012, despite physical red flags that caused them to slip into the second half of the first round.

Taking flyers on talented players drafted after the lottery is understandable, but Ainge was looking to take a bigger gamble back during the 2014 NBA Draft, according to a new report from Bill Simmons of the Ringer. In the latest edition of his Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons declared that Ainge was trying to move up to No. 3 overall to select center Joel Embiid, despite the fact he had just undergone surgery for a foot fracture.

“You knew how talented [Embiid] was because he still went third,” Simmons said. “The Celtics were trying to trade [for him]. They had the sixth pick that year, which ended up being Marcus Smart. They were trying to trade the sixth pick and the Brooklyn pick (17th overall) to move to three to take Embiid, even though he was hurt.”

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/11/0...014-nba-draft/