Ringer: “after Fultz bad workout, Ainge wanted trade for Paul George”

[CelticsElite]

When Markelle Fultz shot poorly in his second pre-draft workout with the Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge began exploring trades to move down from No. 1.

Sources tell Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer that the Celtics hoped to acquire a pick a few spots lower than No. 1 and other assets to flip in a separate trade for Paul George. The Indiana Pacers were in the process of trying to trade George, who was eventually dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the eve of 2017 free agency.

But Jayson Tatum worked out for a second time and the Celtics began targeting to him.

“You saw the change of heart,” said one league source familiar with Tatum’s second and final workout with Boston. “Danny was like ‘OK, we’re getting this kid,’ and a few days later they made the trade.”

Tatum has become an All-Star this season and is arguably already a better player than George considering the latter's injury history.

“We just felt that Jayson had a chance to be a very, very good player that would fit well into our culture,” Ainge said.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/3/3/21162615/jayson-tatum-boston-celtics

[obnoxiousmime]

I did read this article and my takeaway was that workouts can be a huge factor in whether a GM drafts a player, even when they claim otherwise.

Or, Danny was just annoyed Markelle ordered extra guac on that Chipotle run.

[SparzWizard]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

[RockinRyA]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

Its not luck given that those teams were looking at ballhandlers. Its a calculated move.

[18isGREATERthan72]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

Its not luck given that those teams were looking at ballhandlers. Its a calculated move.

Nobody was even really talking about Tatum in that light at that point in time either.  Kevin O'Connor was one of the few who appeared to be high on Tatum, but Fultz was pretty much the consensus #1.

[liam]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

Its not luck given that those teams were looking at ballhandlers. Its a calculated move.

Everyone knew who Philly wanted and everyone knew who The Lakers were going to take. The brilliance of the trade is that Philli would've still gotten Fultz at 3 and they should've known that if Danny was willing to trade down.

[jambr380]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

The Cs wouldn't have made the trade with the Sixers if they weren't going to take Fultz. Ainge would have just drafted Tatum #1 and we wouldn't have Langford today. That is far better than having Fultz and still no Langford.

I suppose you think it's lucky that LAL didn't take Tatum, but that was seemingly never going to happen. Again, Ainge would have kept the #1 pick if that were the case. The only lucky part here is we received a lottery pick with potential in Langford. Ainge was always going to take Tatum (especially after J. Jackson blew off the workout  )

[hwangjini_1]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

Its not luck given that those teams were looking at ballhandlers. Its a calculated move.

Everyone knew who Philly wanted and everyone knew who The Lakers were going to take. The brilliance of the trade is that Philli would've still gotten Fultz at 3 and they should've known that if Danny was willing to trade down.

i think phlly's concern was that LA might have taken fultz at the #2 spot. but yes, your basic point is correct.

[liam]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

Its not luck given that those teams were looking at ballhandlers. Its a calculated move.

Everyone knew who Philly wanted and everyone knew who The Lakers were going to take. The brilliance of the trade is that Philli would've still gotten Fultz at 3 and they should've known that if Danny was willing to trade down.

i think phlly's concern was that LA might have taken fultz at the #2 spot. but yes, your basic point is correct.

Philly might have thought that but the rest of the world knew Magic would take Ball. 

[Somebody]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

Its not luck given that those teams were looking at ballhandlers. Its a calculated move.

Everyone knew who Philly wanted and everyone knew who The Lakers were going to take. The brilliance of the trade is that Philli would've still gotten Fultz at 3 and they should've known that if Danny was willing to trade down.

i think phlly's concern was that LA might have taken fultz at the #2 spot. but yes, your basic point is correct.

Philly might have thought that but the rest of the world knew Magic would take Ball.

On a side note, Ball has become a really nice player for the Pelicans, his passing and defence are impressive.

[Monkhouse]

I know people are down on Fultz, but I've been watching several Orlando games.

He really seems like he's way more confident in fast breaks. He makes smarter plays, and he just really seems to be enjoying himself. When it is all said and done, I do hope Fultz gets it together.

He was a pleasure to watch at Washington State. Dynamic, shifty, herky jerky hesi’s, and a mix of moves to create separation. I sincerely never understood his exact ailments, or what resulted in him completely losing all shooting confidence. But… Orlando seems like the best fit and situation for him.

I'm just glad Ainge is our GM, and not us.

If I had my way, the team would've had Fultz, and Bender instead of Tatum & Brown lol.

[jambr380]

I know people are down on Fultz, but I've been watching several Orlando games.

He really seems like he's way more confident in fast breaks. He makes smarter plays, and he just really seems to be enjoying himself. When it is all said and done, I do hope Fultz gets it together.

He was a pleasure to watch at Washington State. Dynamic, shifty, herky jerky hesi’s, and a mix of moves to create separation. I sincerely never understood his exact ailments, or what resulted in him completely losing all shooting confidence. But… Orlando seems like the best fit and situation for him.

I'm just glad Ainge is our GM, and not us.

If I had my way, the team would've had Fultz, and Bender instead of Tatum & Brown lol.

Yeah, if you remove the heavy expectations of being a #1 pick, I think you can fairly say that Fultz has at least become a 'good' player in the NBA. His 3-pt% is lacking, but he is at least taking them and making them at a 1 in 4 clip (compare that to Simmons). His other counting stats are also decent. He obviously has a long way to go to reach the potential many thought he once had, but he is actually looking like he belongs in this league and hopefully he should have a nice long career. I am happy to see it - and even happier that it isn't happening with the Sixers!

[liam]

The Celtics may have been incredibly lucky the 76ers ineptly accepted the trade and chose Markelle Fultz with the first pick, and the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum with the second pick.

What could have been for the Lakers if they had Ingram and Tatum...

Its not luck given that those teams were looking at ballhandlers. Its a calculated move.

Everyone knew who Philly wanted and everyone knew who The Lakers were going to take. The brilliance of the trade is that Philli would've still gotten Fultz at 3 and they should've known that if Danny was willing to trade down.

i think phlly's concern was that LA might have taken fultz at the #2 spot. but yes, your basic point is correct.

Philly might have thought that but the rest of the world knew Magic would take Ball.

On a side note, Ball has become a really nice player for the Pelicans, his passing and defence are impressive.

Ball and Ingram are so much more likeable out of those ugly LA unis....

[ManUp]

Arguably already better player than George? No, not yet.