What exactly could they have done? Trading for Kawhi would have been a mistake, knowing that he is departing for LA. One title is not enough for me. Even the Big 3 should have won at least one more title. We would have been left with nothing. It's better to consistently be competitive and in a position to take advantage of injuries or meltdowns (see: Toronto 2019). What would you say about Toronto's gamble if Durant remained healthy and GS won?
Where did you get the idea I thought trading for Kawhi was smart? I always thought he wanted to go to LA, now we know just how important it was to him. He left a team that won the title!
My original post is more about where the league is now and how to move forward. Unless you draft incredibly well (like, think GS and OKC with Curry/Green/Thompson and Harden/Durant/Westbrook - not really a realistic goal to have for even teams great at drafting) you are going to be at the mercy of stars choosing to come to your organization.
Kyrie was our lure to get one of those players, because stars are not clamoring to team up with Horford or Hayward or even Kemba. So we've missed out on this cycle, how do we make sure we don't miss on the next one?
One of the issues with missing this superstar cycle is that soon the window in which to add talent while Tatum and Brown are on their rookie deals is running out. The other issue is that the cost of acquiring a superstar in trade has skyrocketed, and we're no longer the only team with a collection of valuable assets. Previously everybody considered the Celtics to have the ability to outbid anybody in a superstar trade. That's no longer the case.
Being a good organization certainly has value, but being a consistent winner is slightly overrated IMO. BKN and LAC were not consistent winners. They drafted or traded well, cleared most of their cap space, and were just attractive enough (in addition to being in major cities) to lure star free agents over. We are not in that position because we have Hayward and Kemba eating huge chunk of our cap, and now Brown is slated to eat up more.
The next superstar who might move is Giannis. Beal or Westbrook do not really fit with our team considering what we already have here. Towns seems OK in Minnie now, but even if he became unhappy I don't think he can be the no 1 option on a contender. At his maturity level, I see him more likely ending up on a team with an established alpha veteran star, similar to what Davis did. Turner or Sabonis might become available, but neither are really elite.
So, how do we create a scenario where Giannis might agree to come here in a potential trade? Let's assume for the purposes of this exercise that he doesn't pull a Davis/Kawhi, i.e. is hell-bent on signing with a team like LAL or NYK when he's unrestricted. I really don't believe we would have either the best team or the best offer. New Orleans could easily say, we'll give you Hayes, Ingram, Ball, our 2020 pick, and a bunch of the Lakers' picks. You get to play with Zion and Holiday. GS could say, come play with Green, Curry, and Thompson, we'll deal D'Angelo Russell and a bunch of future picks (remember, convincing Giannis is the first part of the equation. The return doesn't matter if Giannis won't express a willingness to re-sign). The Hawks could say, come play with Trae Young. We'll deal Collins, our own pick, BKNs pick, and throw in one of Reddish, Huerter, or Hunter.
Maybe Kemba, Hayward, and one remaining of Brown/Tatum could be enough of a lure, but it's no slam dunk. I will say that if the goal is to be attractive enough to lure Giannis, actually dealing for Beal might be a risk you should take. If you can say you get to play with Kemba and Beal at the guard spots, and Hayward and/or whoever is left out of Tatum and Brown, you've got a really attractive win-now location for a player like Giannis, even if he doesn't really like playing the 5. [EDIT: Oops, I didn't subtract what it would take to deal for Giannis. So it would probably be like only one of the three of Hayward, Brown, and Tatum remaining, not 2 out of the 3. One thing is also for certain, we desperately need the Memphis pick to become a big asset]
Topic: Concerned that the Celtics seem determined to stay on the treadmill (Read 8761 times)