We WONT get KD without Kyrie.
The only way we can get KD is for Kyrie to love it in Boston, and recruit KD to play here. If Kyrie tells his best friend how ****ty Boston is there is ZERO chance.
While it would be fantastic to welcome KD to Boston, there is almost no conceivable way to do this under the salary cap (we are already WELL over). If KD wants to pull a Boogie Cousins and sign for the tax payer MLE, then I am all for it!
The way to do it would be for KD to opt into the final year of his deal and the C's and Warriors to swap him for Hayward, the thought being that GS would rather bring back Hayward from Boston than lose KD for nothing to, like, the Knicks.
I have heard this as a possibility, but KD would REALLY have to want to come to Boston for this to happen. The money next year isn't terrible ($31.5M), but he could make a lot more on the open market, will have no option years, and no ability to sign long-term. I would certainly be all about it, though!
Funny enough, I actually think it would be totally fine to ship Hayward to GSW. I get it, trading a FA after he signs with us and all of that, but would there be a better position for him to succeed in the league than in GSW with Curry, Thompson, and Green? Heck, all things being equal in the '17 offseason, Hayward probably would have chosen GSW over us.
