I'm just not sure why we gave up a 2028 pick swap in addition to everything else. I mean, if it were like Top-5 protected then I might have been fine with it, but since it's Top-1 protected only it feels like a huge gamble to take.
You can always use that pick in a trade and then the swap doesn't matter. Also, given the age of the Jays and that Pops will be gone running and coaching the Spurs, the chances of that swap not happening or being detrimental to the Celtics is very good. I think people are making way, way, way too big a deal over that swap. Like, the team's management doesn't even have to THINK about it's effects for 5 years.
Except not a single player on our current team will be under contract. We have no idea if JB or JT will still be here. We don't even know what the CBA will look like. And, a single injury can send a team to the lottery, even if they have a good foundation.
In June 2028, Tatum will be 30. White will be a couple of days away from 34. Smart will be 34 as well, and JB will be four months away from 32.
I have no idea what level those guys will be playing at in 2028. They could all be in their near-prime, or some could be breaking down and injury prone. I mean, did a middle of the pack Seattle team in 1984 think that in two seasons, they'd end up with the #2 pick in the draft in 1986? Did a middle of the road Utah team expect that they'd be giving up the rights to Magic Johnson in 1976 when it added Gail Goodrich? Things can change remarkably quickly year to year, let alone six years out.
(That 1979 Utah team was crazy. They had prime Truck Robinson and Spencer Haywood each averaging 24+ points per game. Maravich was averaging almost 23. Goodrich was fading at age 35, but still had something left in the tank. And role players Rich Kelley and Jim McElroy were put up good numbers on good efficiency. And yet, they finished dead last. Why? Because their stars got hurt, with each of their three leading scorers missing 33+ games.)
