Sure PG said he wanted to play in L.A. That makes sense. He's from there and he knows they are building something there. He might like the idea of being a part of the next Laker dynasty. It's even more enticing that Lebron is rumored to want to play in L.A. soon too. Maybe they can buddy up and try to beat a better GSW team...
Or he could come to Boston.
I'd be willing to put money on PG13 staying in Boston if we end up signing Hayward. Something like:
IT
Smart/JB
Hayward
George
Horford
would be hard to walk away from, especially if we were willing to max him at the end of the season. Our payroll would be hilarious for 2 years, but also maybe worth fielding a team like that, similar to the position GSW is in.
I understand he could go to L.A. and play with Lebron. I honestly believe that team wouldn't be as good as ours, and it will be facing GSW in the conference finals until Lebron runs out of gas (2-3 years?).
If that hypothetical isn't convincing, here are some citations worth noting:
George wants to play with Hayward:
http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/03/23/report-paul-george-wants-to-play-with-gordon-hayward/and
George retweets a "trade the #1 pick for George" article:
https://twitter.com/ByJayKing/status/865234295513911298/photo/1and
George "most excited" to see IT:
http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2017/02/paul_george_most_excited_to_se.htmlI have to think if Danny misses on the opportunity to snag PG13 on a bargain, that would be an awful shame. I'd give up #3 and Crowder+AB for him. That isn't the 2 picks and a starter they are looking for, but it's probably better than Clarkson, Randle and #28. I'd honestly chance #3 and two really good players on being able to retain him next summer.
Ideally, I'd trade down with Sacramento and give the Pacers 5 + AB/Crowder for George, picking up #10 to work with. That seems like a pipe dream but if SAC really loves Jackson or Ball...
The thing that really sells me, is that getting PG13 probably increases our chances at getting Hayward, which, in turn, increases our chances at retaining Hayward. It just makes too much sense to not at least throw something on the table.