Could've said the same thing last year before Durant met with us and we signed Horford. In fact, I recall everyone was saying the same thing.
Disappointed in you Pho. I didn't think you would get emotional. The only GM's who ever make mistakes are the ones who get emotional in this league. For example, negotiating trades takes time. The only leverage a team like the Celtics has in these talks is time. You really think Hayward won't sign here when he sees us draft a Brooklyn pick? And then we could flip Crowder for something....
I don't necessarily think it was the wrong decision to hold back on making a deal at mid-season. I think what we're seeing in the playoffs right now is proof that this team was not one mid-season acquisition away from making a deep run.
You're right that the best GMs do not make emotional decisions (there is a reason I am a fan and not a GM ... OK, there are MANY reasons why that is the case).
I was very surprised when Horford signed with us last year. I didn't expect it. At the same time, I don't think Horford expected that the Hawks would balk at giving him a full max deal. Utah won't be making the same mistake with Hayward.
With all of that said, I don't think the comparison to last year is apt here. Last year, the Celts played an opponent that had more experience and arguably more talent, home court advantage, and that won the same number of games in the regular season. They were generally overmatched in that series but managed to push it to 6 games despite losing Avery Bradley early in the series.
This year, the Celts are the #1 seed playing a first round series against an opponent with a deeply flawed roster that won 12 fewer games than they did in the regular season. They are getting their butts kicked so far.
I don't think that FAs necessarily make decisions based on what just happened in the playoffs ... not entirely, anyway. But I think it will definitely play a role.
If Danny had the chance to add a player like Noel, Mason Plumlee, Nurkic, or even Tucker at the halfway point for the price of, say, Jerebko or Rozier and a lesser pick, I think there was probably a strong argument to be made that he should have done it.
Back then, I felt that this team could win a playoff series and push a second round opponent to the brink whether or not they made a move. That now appears to have been a deeply mistaken impression of how good this team is.
If Hayward is coming off a first round loss with the Jazz, wherein they pushed the Clippers to 6 or 7 games despite losing Rudy Gobert at the very beginning of Game 1, how would you expect him to feel about the Celts, by comparison, if they get smoked by the Bulls in 4 or 5 games (which is where this appears to be headed)?
Not to mention that the cap situation is going to make getting Hayward pretty difficult regardless. Though on the other hand, at this point I really wouldn't mind jettisoning all of our FAs and trading Avery Bradley or Jae Crowder for cap space and a pick or something like that.