Honestly, I was a little torn.
On one hand, we are doing so well this year that I felt like maybe one really nice addition could have propelled us up there with the Cavs and Raptors.
But the problems is that every one of the options presented a great deal of risk.
* Horford is 30 years old, injury prone, isn't a huge different maker, is an UFA after the season (hence could have walked) and would have demanded a $30M+ a year deal.
* Dwight could be a difference player, but he is 30 years old, injury prone, a bit of a head case, and also an UFA after the season (has never put Celtics high on his wish list, so high risk of losing him) and would have demanded a $30M+ a year deal.
* Love is only 27 but is also injury prone, is (IMHO) not a huge different maker, is a bit of a head case, and is due $110M over 5 years
All three of those scenarios could have potentially helped us become a little stronger this year, but neither of them (IMHO) would make us good enough to beat Golden State or San Antonio in a playoff series...and all of them introduced a MAJOR long term risk since all three are showing signs of decline, and all three are a very high health risk.
Since those deals only looked bright for this season (and grim in the future) they all made little sense if it meant giving up core players who could make us worse right now...because then you are risking the now AND the future.
In the end, after thinking long and hard, I part of me kinda hoped that Danny made the decision to not do a thing.
With our core group of young guys (most of whom still have room to grow) combined with all the cap space we have and all those picks (especially the Brooklyn '16 pick) we have a ridiculous amount of flexibility.
For example, we might look at those 8 or so picks as a useless number of picks to have, but nobody said we have to keep them just because we didn't trade them at the deadline. Come draft day I'm sure Danny will look at all possible options (trading up in the draft, trading picks for established stars, etc) and having so many picks presents a ton of possibilities for us.
Even holding off on the Horford/Dwight moves makes a lot of sense, since they are currently on expiring contracts which puts us in a tough spot. In the off-season if the player wants to come here, Danny can work a S&T that allowed us to get the player here without worrying about them walking after a year.
I also strongly agree with Danny Ainge, that the Brooklyn '16 pick was not worth trading unless it was going to bring back a fairly young, transcendent star. While there is no guarantee we will get Simmons (or even that Simmons will be a star) the mere possibility of getting a player on that level (e.g. Towns, Davis, Cousins, Griffin) on a rookie scale contract is way too valuable to give up for anybody lesser.
When Cleveland got the #1 pick in 2014 and drafted Wiggins, they never had to gamble on whether he'd be a star. The perceived potential was enough to bring back a 26/13 superstar via trade...and that is where the value of a high lottery pick lies.
For example Philly took a flier on Okafor, and now the way that he's performed, his trade value is not what you'd expect for a top 3 guy. But if Philly offered him up on draft day, before he played an NBA game - there is every chance somebody would have offered them a star.
Many people argue that Love is a star, and that if he came here he would go back to putting up star numbers. I'm not going to get into that argument and open up that can of worms, but the simple fact of the matter is that we can't possible know. Maybe we get him, and he does go back to superstar ways, and his value goes through the roof. Or maybe we get him, and he plays just as poorly as he has in Cleveland, and we get stuck with a B-grade player on a superstar contract. There is no way to no for sure what's going to happen with a change in scenery, and therein lies the risk of trading something so valuauble (as the Brooklyn pick) for somebody like Love.
The Griffin deal I get. He's a bit of a bone head but he's a clear go-to guy who is putting up superstar numbers right now. Even if you hit jackpot in the draft and you do get a future star, what is the chance of (even a star) being significantly better than Griffin? Pretty slim. So doing that deal for a guy like Griffin (who is is 26 and has been reasonably healthy since his sophomore year) is a hard deal to turn down.
It's kinda the equivalent of taking an 'off the books' cash job that has zero job security, but pays you the equivalent of $150,000 a year...but to take it you need to quite your current salary job which pays you $110,000 a year and gives you long term job security and annual opportunities for promotion. Of course you'll be tempted to chase the opportunity that gives you bigger gain NOW, but it's wiser in the long term to stick to the place with job security that still pays really well and could get you a promotion to $150k a year in a year or two anyway.
Topic: Danny talks about no deadline deals (Read 7480 times)