« Reply #401 on: July 02, 2017, 07:15:55 PM »
Zach Lowe on the deal:
In what is now a time-honored tradition, reports quickly emanated from Boston last night about all the goodies the Celtics had offered: two starters (some combination of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and Marcus Smart) and three draft picks in the most recent round of talks, and a mega-package at the trade deadline, per our Jeff Goodman and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, that included what became the No. 1 pick in the draft. (League sources verified that tidbit to ESPN.com.)
As I reported Friday morning, Boston's most recent offer, whenever it was on the table, did not include any of the following: next year's Nets pick, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, or the Lakers-Kings pick Boston picked up from Philly in exchange for sliding down two spots in the draft. If the Celtics really offered three picks sometime in the past two weeks -- and I believe they did -- they came from some combination of Boston's own stash and extra protected 2019 first-rounders acquired from Memphis and the Clippers. Boston also offered a combination of three starter-level players and two picks, according to sources familiar with the talks.
All of those picks could end up in the 20s. The Pacers were open about their desire for a top-10 pick, or some equivalent talent. Boston's package would not have met that requirement. Bradley may earn as much as Oladipo in two seasons. Smart's next deal will also kick in then. It is not some killer, irresistible package.
It's still better than what the Pacers got. Picks are liquid trade assets, even if they are projected to land in the 20s. Just a week ago, Portland turned two sub-lottery picks into the No. 10 pick. Indiana might even have taken that Boston deal had it been clearly on the table last night, according to sources familiar with the talks. It may not have been, even if Boston had offered it days before.
Timing and human dynamics play a role in high-pressure negotiations. The Celtics, Cavs, Nuggets, and Pacers have been talking off and on for weeks in what insiders described as an ongoing auction-style negotiation with shifting deadlines set by the Pacers. Boston and Indiana couldn't agree on a deal before Friday, and with free agency looming, the Celtics had to turn their attention to Gordon Hayward. They wanted to sort that out first, and maintain space for Hayward, before sending away rotation players and picks for George. The lowered salary cap made any deal struck before free agency even trickier.
If you send out two starters for a rental and whiff on Hayward, how much have you narrowed the gap with LeBron and the Warriors?
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/presents-19782266/zach-lowe-paul-george-trade-oklahoma-city-thunder-fallout-pacers-lakers-celticsI excerpted the part of the story that pertains to the Celtics.
It seems to me that Ainge was willing to pay for George but only felt like he could keep George beyond this season if he had Hayward as well and if both were going to come, Hayward had to be gotten first. Indy, for whatever reason, wasn't willing to wait even though if it was for a better deal.
I don't see how you can fault Ainge for this, unless you think it would be better to have George (with an increased risk of him walking in a year) without Crowder, Bradley, and those 3 first rounders, than to have Hayward with all of those pieces.
Or maybe Indy just wasn't interested in contributing to another super team. Who knows?
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