I'm not saying this will happen, or that it's likely to happen, but it's not implausible:
- The Celts extend Tyler Zeller for 5 years / $50 million.
- Danny opts not to make a significant trade during the regular season, preferring to preserve cap flexibility.
- The team ends up with one pick in the back half of the top 10 and two picks in the middle of the 1st round.
- The team trades one, two, or all three of Isaiah Thomas, Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley along with one or two picks to move up in the draft. The team drafts three or more players who all stand to vie for playing time at the 3, 4, and 5.
- David Lee, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, and Evan Turner all leave in free agency next summer.
- After a fairly strong season that nonetheless leaves significant concerns about his future, Jared Sullinger gets an offer in excess of $58 million from another team. The Celts choose not to match.
With all that, the team a year from now could be comprised of:
Smart
Crowder
Rozier
Hunter
Young
Mickey
Zeller
Rookie #1
Rookie #2
Rookie #3
Throw in a couple of short-term make-good deals like what the Celts gave to Jerebko and Amir Johnson this summer. Example -- Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert.
It's not so crazy to think the team could be pretty bad in the following season, even though things would look pretty bright for the future if they're developing Smart, Hunter, Young, and Mickey, while integrating a couple of top 10 picks from the 2016 draft.
This type of scenario is actually a silver lining for me. No matter how much the Celts seem to be invested in trying to be a respectable middle of the road team this season, the potential is still there to take a step back next summer and focus on developing young talent, provided they get some luck with the Nets and Mavs pick and perhaps find a trade partner higher in the lottery.