I made two posts in a row there. One about Smart and one about Stevens. This response was linked to the Smart one but seems more about my Stevens post
How about the Kemba trade? Isn't that kind of radical
But I think I saw you commented somewhere you didn't like that Stevens went with the familiar and got Al Horford so I can probably guess your answer somewhat
The Kemba trade as a radical move by Stevens? Potentially.
So there was two ways for this trade to go.
(1) Ultra-ambitious, we are cutting salary and getting into the max free agent game next summer. We believe in our two young stars and their ability to attract a 3rd star to join us and make us a legit contender.
And then what we actually did,
(2) Create cap flexibility but then sign Smart, J.Richardson and R.Williams to expensive extensions ($40mil a year over 4 years, something like that for the trio) that wasted away most of that cap flexibility that we had just created.
It hasn't eliminated the possibility completely as Stevens could find trades to re-acquire the cap space he has given away + he still has Horford as a trade asset to get a star that way ... but it did take us off course from that ultra-ambitious model.
And I was okay with giving up a 1st round pick for the ultra-ambitious plan. I am not okay if we do not follow through with the ultra-ambitious plan. In that case, the 1st was the most valuable long term piece and we should have kept it. That was the smarter course of action for slow gradual team building.
I do like Horford more than Kemba but it was not worth giving up a first for. You do not sacrifice long term assets for band aids (short term fixes). Long term assets are for long term solutions. Not short term ones.
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So we'll see what Stevens does next. What he does at this trade deadline and this summer and we'll have a better idea of how aggressive & ambitious he is as head man in charge.
I am doubtful and his signings of those contracts only increased those doubts but doubts is all they are at this point. We'll have a much firmer idea in 6 months time of what Stevens' intentions are for this team moving forward.