In 2017, then-Boston Celtics executive Danny Ainge made an incredibly risky trade, sending the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 and a future first-round selection.

By making that trade, the Celtics were passing on the consensus top prospect, Markelle Fultz of Washington, and skilled point guard Lonzo Ball of UCLA.

Fultz was taken No. 1 by the 76ers while Ball went No. 2 to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics selected Jayson Tatum out of Duke and the rest has been history.

Tatum has become one of the best players in basketball over the last nine years, making six All-Star Games and five All-NBA teams. He was a member of the All-Rookie team in 2017-18 and helped the Celtics win the NBA Finals in 2023-24.

Fultz, on the other hand, was barely in the league this season. He averaged 11.0 ppg in seven games for the Toronto Raptors G-League affiliate, and then averaged 0.8 ppg in five games for the NBA Raptors.

Hailing from Maryland, Fultz played one season with the Huskies in 2016-17. He started all 25 games he appeared in, averaging 35.7 minutes per night. He averaged a Pac-12 best 23.2 ppg, also pulling down 5.7 rebounds per game and dishing out 5.9 assists. He was a third-team All-American, a Pac-12 All-Freshman team selection and a member of the All-Pac 12 team.

A truly dynamic scorer, he had five games of 30 points or more, including a career-high 37 against Colorado. 

Unfortunately for Washington, they went 9-22 that season with a woeful 2-16 record inside conference play.

Fultz has had a hard time staying healthy and he struggled early in his career with shooting mechanics. He's played 43 games or less in six of eight NBA seasons and has only played more than 70 games once. He's appeared in games for the 76ers, Orlando Magic, Kings and Raptors, averaging 10.2 ppg and 4.3 assists per night.

According to former NBA front office member and longtime media personality Amin Elhassan, the Celtics were able to generate a lot of intel on Fultz before the draft because of an NBA loophole.

According to Elhassan, the NBA prohibits executives from attending AAU tournaments, except in very specific and controlled instances. However, if you have a son who is playing AAU, you are able to go and attend as many games as you want.

Ainge's youngest son played on the AAU circuit against Fultz, giving Ainge firsthand knowledge of Fultz before he ever even stepped foot on campus at Washington. Elhassan intimates that those early exposures helped shape his opinion about Fultz, which led him to wanting to go in a different direction.

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