This from Zach Lowe/ESPN Insider:
"I'm not sure what precisely went haywire in the Boston-Indiana-Charlotte Hayward vortex. You couldn't be unless you were on Celtics-Pacers trade calls, and even some of those people might have lingering questions or divergent memories. Here's what I'm confident in:
• Boston misread Hayward's desire to leave, even for a rebuilding team. The Pacers played it right by waiting out Hayward's opt-in deadline, and forcing the Celtics to negotiate under threat of Hayward walking into Charlotte's cap space. Trade talks stalled. Boston offered something less than Charlotte. Hayward walked.
• Boston did not want Myles Turner enough to accept a Pacers package centered on him and whatever other players (and maybe picks) Indiana offered in conjunction. Perhaps Boston wanted Turner only if he came with one or two specific Pacers -- players Indiana apparently did not make available in that context. (Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reported the nitty-gritty of the proposals.) Perhaps the Celtics thought they had more leverage to ask for the moon, confident Hayward would re-sign. Bottom line: If Boston really wanted Turner, he would probably be a Celtic.
Turner makes $18 million in each of the next three seasons. Thompson will make about $9.5 million in each of the next two. Turner is a polarizing player with murky trade value. The emergence of Domantas Sabonis marginalized Turner on offense. He can be tentative with the ball when the game is in motion. He can't post up switches, a huge problem the Heat exposed in the postseason.
But he jacked up his 3-point rate last season, and he's a fearsome deterrent at the rim on defense. He should keep improving. I'm curious to see what he does under Nate Bjorkgren, and remain curious about how Brad Stevens would have nudged Turner's game.
Time will tell how Boston's wager plays out. Internal development from Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and other kiddos might soften the blow of Hayward's departure. Maybe Tatum has another jump. Why put limits on him? But Boston's 2020-21 ceiling is a little lower."