I read this thread last night but didn't say anything. I don't know why this is such a big deal. Sometimes I think being fan of the NBA is 50% following basketball and 50% following trade rumors and "what-if" scenarios.
Having said that, again I think this speaks to how lucky we are to have Danny as a GM. How many guys could pull off a non-trade and have it work out for the team like Danny did? Further, if Ray was traded, would the season turned out any different? Maybe, but I don't know.
I think it is clear that he was willing to trade Ray and Paul, but his asking price was so steep that other teams simply couldn't pull the trigger. That's how I want my GM negotiating, from a position of strength, even though we were a .500 team with expiring veteran contracts. I think most other GMs unload in that scenario for draft picks.
Both Danny and Doc have pushed all the right buttons for us this year, whether by design or not. This franchise is in one of the best positions it has been in for a long time.