Woj: Hayward to Charlotte (4 years, $120 million)

[hpantazo]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

[wiley]

I see all the regular(and even some not so regular) doom and bloomers have come out of their posting hiatuses to slam Ainge once again.

There were always going to be 4 options when it came to Hayward this off-season:

1. He would opt in for $34.2 million at which point Ainge could have kept him for the year or traded him, which probably would have been near impossible given the money and he could walk on a team the next season. Hayward was in control of this option and decided against it.

2. Hayward opts out and agrees to a long term extension in Boston. This would need mutual desire on both parts. Hayward doesn't appear he wanted this. His wife didn't want this and at what Gordon signed for, there is no way Ainge wanted this.

3. Hayward opts out. Danny finds a suitor for a sign and trade that Hayward would work a contract out with while simultaneously getting what both teams wanted to deal in the sign and trade.

4. Hayward signs with a team with cap space.

After Hayward opted out there were just 3 options and it appears another option was removed by Hayward for personal reasons. So it came down to options 3 and 4.

Sure there was a ton of talk about Atlanta and New York being interested and Indiana willing to pay $100 over 4 years, though who knows how much would have been guaranteed. But Hayward removed that option by taking option 4, going for the truly big money to a team with cap space.

Why are Boston fans so miffed. It takes two teams to agree to a trade and it takes two teams and a player to agree to a sign and trade. For all we know Ainge and Pritchard was going to agree to terms on a sign and trade but Hayward decided for Charlotte.

It's just wrong to assume if Ainge and Pritchard had come to terms 20 hours ago that Hayward would have agreed to the sign and trade. If Hayward's agent was smart, and given the contract Hayward got, I think that's is probably true, he wasn't going to allow Gordon to accept Indy's offer without first exhausting all other opportunities that were being offered.

I just don't get the extremely strong vitriol towards Ainge here. Hayward decided where he wanted to go, not Ainge.

But, if you only come here just to moan and complain about the team, the coach and the GM, today must be like Christmas for you, regardless if any of it is in the least bit warranted.

Exactly! TP!

On another note, so many fans sound so petty and spoiled..Poor Celtics..we are ruined for life

Let’s fire Danny because Hayward got an insane deal from a team with salary space
Let’s fire Danny cause he made that horrible draft day trade with the Sixers and took Tatum
Let’s fire Danny for taking that “chump Brown with the third pick years ago
Let’s fire Danny cause we know he should have taken Randle over Smart!
Let’s fire Danny since he let Cryie leave and turned it into a Kemba


We have two budding superstars in Brown and Tatum who are 22 and 24.
We have a superstar in Kemba
We have a superhero defensive juggernaut in Smart who is the heart of what a true Celtics player should be

How many teams like the Knicks or Kings or TWolves would die to have a team like we have.

Guess what, Tatum and Brown are still a few years from hitting their peak..imagine that for a  second...


Our top priority now should be signing Tatum to his extension. Now, if he decided to leave and join Cryie, you can fire Ainge 😁

I agree.  Thank you Nick!  Great post.  TP to you both!

I'm guessing at least some of the people lashing at Gordon (or his wife), are the same ones who've been calling him useless.  In other words:  You stink, and shame on you for leaving.

[gouki88]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

I'd be ecstatic about any of Thompson, Baynes, Ibaka or Cauley-Stein for a bench big role. All have different strenghts. Ibaka would be at the top of the list, WCS at the bottom

[SteveD]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

Since we can't combine exemptions, is it not true that the most they can offer an FA is 9.2 million ? How can the Celtics get a guy like Ibaka ?

[hpantazo]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

Since we can't combine exemptions, is it not true that the most they can offer an FA is 9.2 million ? How can the Celtics get a guy like Ibaka ?

He may run out of other options. Still, he could just stay in Toronto (Tampa).

[hpantazo]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

I'd be ecstatic about any of Thompson, Baynes, Ibaka or Cauley-Stein for a bench big role. All have different strenghts. Ibaka would be at the top of the list, WCS at the bottom

Yeah, any of them are upgrades over what we had last season.

[SteveD]

Since we can't combine exemptions, is it not true that the most they can offer an FA is 9.2 million ? How can the Celtics get a guy like Ibaka ?

[PAOBoston]

Since we can't combine exemptions, is it not true that the most they can offer an FA is 9.2 million ? How can the Celtics get a guy like Ibaka ?

Rumor is Ibaka is on his way to Brooklyn.

[wiley]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

I'd be ecstatic about any of Thompson, Baynes, Ibaka or Cauley-Stein for a bench big role. All have different strenghts. Ibaka would be at the top of the list, WCS at the bottom

Baynes would be my choice.  He was quoted, I think after Kyrie's last playoffs, as saying somthing along the lines of:  Brad's system works if you follow it. 

I think he had a good year in Phoenix.  He's getting older so he's not going to rob all of Rob's minutes...He can be pampered until the post season and then unleashed. 

[colincb]

GH had control, was offered a lot more money than we offered, and took it.

That's life. Stop whining. This is Boston, not Philadelphia.

[liam]

Celtics, since season's end have lost:

Hayward
Kanter
Poirier.
Note: Wanamaker could still return.

They have added:

Nesmith
Pritchard.

Soooooo, this team almost got to the NBA Finals with none of the guys that left making any significant contributions during the playoffs. And, the Celtics have added two rookies most known for their toughness, work ethic and elite shooting ability, that last item something the team desperately needed.

I'm not seeing that the Celtics have taken a major step backwards. They now have the full MLE and the BAE and vet mins to add to this team and stand a decent chance of not being a taxpayer this year, so resets that whole problematic situation2 if they stay below the tax threshold.

My thoughts exactly on the shooting specifically. We needed shooters last year and we got two of the best in the draft.

[gouki88]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

I'd be ecstatic about any of Thompson, Baynes, Ibaka or Cauley-Stein for a bench big role. All have different strenghts. Ibaka would be at the top of the list, WCS at the bottom

Baynes would be my choice.  He was quoted, I think after Kyrie's last playoffs, as saying somthing along the lines of:  Brad's system works if you follow it. 

I think he had a good year in Phoenix.  He's getting older so he's not going to rob all of Rob's minutes...He can be pampered until the post season and then unleashed.

Would be happy with any of them really, all better defenders than Kanter!

[ConnerHenry]

My thoughts on the Charlotte contract:

When James Dolan thinks it's too pricey, you know it's a bad deal

[SteveD]

Celtics should go after Willie Cauley-Stein with their Bi-Annual exception, worth about $3.6 million.

[tonydelk]

So Millsap back to Denver on a 1 year deal.  Who's left for Bigs  Ibaka, Baynes, Giles?

Yeah, and Tristan Thompson and WCS I believe

I'd be ecstatic about any of Thompson, Baynes, Ibaka or Cauley-Stein for a bench big role. All have different strenghts. Ibaka would be at the top of the list, WCS at the bottom

Baynes would be my choice.  He was quoted, I think after Kyrie's last playoffs, as saying somthing along the lines of:  Brad's system works if you follow it. 

I think he had a good year in Phoenix.  He's getting older so he's not going to rob all of Rob's minutes...He can be pampered until the post season and then unleashed.

Would be happy with any of them really, all better defenders than Kanter!

For upside I'd go Giles.  Plus it would make Tatum happy.  Ibaka and Giles would be my preference.  Not sure about Baynes. If he got traded again or didn't get much PT it could get ugly.

I'd love to see a trade for George Hill for a 2nd and TE.  Good vet and bench player if the thunder are willing to move him.  There's always the little guy for some bench scoring.  Teague intrigues me as well for a bench player.  The way the cs played without Hayward they were missing bench scoring.  Haywards shots will go to JB and JT and Kemba.