Danny looks back at Boston trade possibilities

[Roy H.]

“There was a situation where I could have given away both of those picks to get Jimmy Butler,” Ainge said. “That criticism is fair, hoarding your picks to get Jimmy Butler. I just thought it was too rich at the time.

“Thank goodness [I didn’t make that trade], we were lucky. It turned out to be Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Anthony Davis, no. Jimmy Butler, yeah. That was fair criticism, but you never know how those are going to work out. Jimmy was really good, and we liked him and we wanted him. And I was still mad I didn’t draft Jimmy Butler.”

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2023/02/18/danny-ainge-celtics-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-jimmy-butler-anthony-davis-trade-story/

What a disaster that would have been.

[droopdog7]

Yeah, in spite of every team having misses everything, its crazy to think of THIS alternate reality now.  And while I am here, I still give DA immense credit for making the JB and JT picks.  I venture to guess that not a single GM would have made both picks. 

[Yuckabuck33]

I laughed at Ainge's reaction to rumors of an Anthony Davis trade (he laughed at it), saying that there never was such an opportunity. I'm just remembering all the debate here and the people accusing Ainge of "putting all his eggs in one AD basket."

[SparzWizard]

Remember he almost traded those picks for Justise Winslow? That would have been disastrous too

[Vermont Green]

Remember he almost traded those picks for Justise Winslow? That would have been disastrous too

I often wonder about that rumored trade.  We had a lot of picks at the time.  No one knows exactly what picks were offered.  It seems really hard for me to believe he would have traded the NJ picks but who knows.  In any case, he did overrate Winslow but I think if the offer had been that good, even Jordan would have taken it, or one of the other teams.

It hasn’t been revealed precisely which picks the Celtics offered. They had many stockpiled. A good bet is it including the No. 16 pick in 2015, which they used on Terry Rozier. I’m not sure whether Simmons is reporting or just supposing Boston offered the 2016 Nets pick (which became Jaylen Brown).

There’s enough variability in the picks and protections not to know just how good this offer was. But, even near the plausible minimum, it was pretty darn good.

[hpantazo]

Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make

[Moranis]

Obviously not doing the trade has worked out, but had we made that trade before the 2016 draft, that would have given us a pretty solid team and that season Boston was in the ECF losing in 5 to the Cavs (when IT could only go 2 games)

Starters - IT4, Bradley, Butler, KO, Horford
Bench - Rozier, Smart, Crowder, Green, Jerebko, Johnson

And we still would have had the ability to acquire Irving the next summer with Thomas, Crowder, and the last BKN pick.

Perhaps with Butler the team doesn't implode and Boston already has a title or two. 

As I said not doing the trade seems like it was the correct move because obviously Brown and Tatum are far more valuable than Butler, but you just never know what might have happened had the trade been made.

[SparzWizard]

Didn't the Wolves gave up Kris Dunn and a bunch of medicore pieces for Jimmy Butler that summer of 2017? Weren't we also in the running for Paul George too? Prob wouldn't have minded either

[Roy H.]

Didn't the Wolves gave up Kris Dunn and a bunch of medicore pieces for Jimmy Butler that summer of 2017? Weren't we also in the running for Paul George too? Prob wouldn't have minded either

They gave up Dunn, Lavine and Markannen.

[Big333223]

I laughed at Ainge's reaction to rumors of an Anthony Davis trade (he laughed at it), saying that there never was such an opportunity. I'm just remembering all the debate here and the people accusing Ainge of "putting all his eggs in one AD basket."

Yep. It feels like most of the trade rumors we get fed from sports media is just hogwash.

[Moranis]

Didn't the Wolves gave up Kris Dunn and a bunch of medicore pieces for Jimmy Butler that summer of 2017? Weren't we also in the running for Paul George too? Prob wouldn't have minded either

They gave up Dunn, Lavine and Markannen.

It was Dunn, LaVine, and 7 (Markannen) for Butler and 16 (Patton)

Minnesota obviously blew the 16th pick as he is one of the bigger 1st round busts in recent memory playing just 22 games over his 4 seasons.  That was of course a year after the original rumors at the 16 trade deadline and then again before the 16 draft.  That is when the 2 BKN picks were apparently the ask.

[Roy H.]

I laughed at Ainge's reaction to rumors of an Anthony Davis trade (he laughed at it), saying that there never was such an opportunity. I'm just remembering all the debate here and the people accusing Ainge of "putting all his eggs in one AD basket."

Yep. It feels like most of the trade rumors we get fed from sports media is just hogwash.

I don't think the Danny interest in Davis was hogwash.

Rather, we could trade for Davis when Kyrie was still on his designated player contact.  So, there were no trade rumors then, because it was a possibility.  By the following season, Davis strong-armed his way to LA, and Kyrie left, making a Davis trade essentially impossible.  Thus, no trade was seriously discussed.

But, I do think the groundwork was laid with the Pelicans before Kyrie's change of heart blew things up.

[celticsclay]

I laughed at Ainge's reaction to rumors of an Anthony Davis trade (he laughed at it), saying that there never was such an opportunity. I'm just remembering all the debate here and the people accusing Ainge of "putting all his eggs in one AD basket."

Yep. It feels like most of the trade rumors we get fed from sports media is just hogwash.

I don't think the Danny interest in Davis was hogwash.

Rather, we could trade for Davis when Kyrie was still on his designated player contact.  So, there were no trade rumors then, because it was a possibility.  By the following season, Davis strong-armed his way to LA, and Kyrie left, making a Davis trade essentially impossible.  Thus, no trade was seriously discussed.

But, I do think the groundwork was laid with the Pelicans before Kyrie's change of heart blew things up.

Imagining this team with kyries instability and Davis playing 50 games a year is a depressing thought exercise.

[G-Bones]

Yep. I am glad we never entered the AD and KI zone. How frustrating would it be to have those two as part of your main core?  Yuck!!!

[Roy H.]

Yep. I am glad we never entered the AD and KI zone. How frustrating would it be to have those two as part of your main core?  Yuck!!!

I get the dream.

Horford
Davis (Pelicans era)
Hayward (Utah era)
Brown
Kyrie (Cleveland era)

If those guys were all focused on the same goal, it would have been a top tier team.