76ers trade for No. 1 overall pick in Thursday's draft

BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Celtics have traded the No. 1 pick in this week's NBA draft to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Boston will get the Sixers' pick, No. 3 overall, and another first-rounder in 2018 or 2019. The teams agreed to the deal over the weekend, hours after expected top pick Markelle Fultz worked out for the Sixers.

Philadelphia will select first for the second straight year. In 2016, the Sixers picked Ben Simmons, who didn't play at all during the season after breaking a bone in his foot.

The Celtics could be gearing up for more moves. After finishing with the No. 1 seed in the East this season, they are trying to package some of their picks for an established star that could help them close the gap on NBA finalists Cleveland and Golden State.

"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," 76ers' President of Basketball Operations, Bryan 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 Sixers will choose first overall for the fourth time in team history. Philadelphia chose Ben Simmons with first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Allen Iverson in 1996 and Doug Collins in 1973.