Celtics' Patience Rewarded by Getting No. 1 Pick in NBA Draft, Says Danny Ainge

The Boston Celtics are sitting pretty in the present as they prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals and the future after landing the No. 1 pick in Tuesday's draft lottery.

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge praised the virtue of patience in light of recent developments.

"I think sitting here right now with the No. 1 pick in the draft, the answer is obviously yes [this shows the value of patience], and sitting in the Eastern Conference Finals, the answer is obviously yes," Ainge said, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. "I think that sometimes you need to be patient. It's hard for me to be patient. I like action."

He also praised those around him: "My whole staff and ownership, we sit and calmly try to figure out what the best path is to take. We don't want to make any mistakes, and so far, we've been pretty good."

Patience wasn't the only thing working in Boston's favor as Ainge worked toward the current version of the franchise.

The Brooklyn Nets helped facilitate the Celtics' pingpong-ball luck Tuesday considering they were the ones who would have had the top pick if they didn't trade Boston the right to swap selections as part of a monster 2013 trade.

The trade sent Paul Piece, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and D.J. White to the Nets in exchange for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and, most importantly, three first-round picks (2014, 2016 and 2018) and the right to swap picks this year.

Now Boston finds itself in a position where it can take an instant playmaker like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball at No. 1 or potentially even swap the pick to land an established star in an effort to dethrone the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

If the end result is a championship, fans can look back on the patience the team and front office demonstrated during the building process.