Lookback on Fultz Trade

[tankcity!]

Okay so if we didn't end up trading for Butler and George, why the F did we give Philly such an amazing young core our Celtics team will have to compete with for the coming years? It doesn't make sense to me unless we were going to have a good mix of veteran stars and young stars...We're only left with young unproven players at this point.

I believe in Brown personally, but if Tatum and Brown turn into a Smart/Bradley level player we're screwed basically.

Also Ainge has really sucked at drafting recently.His past nine first-round picks before this year’s draft are Brown, Yabusele, Zizic, Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, Marcus Smart, James Young, Jared Sullinger, and Fab Melo. So we really couldn't have traded for Noel last year?

Is anyone else sick of these low first round picks?

[Ilikesports17]

Ainge obviously felt that the difference between the talent available at 3 and the talent available at 1 was negligible.

Hope he is right.

[Phantom255x]

The main thing that irritates me THE MOST is the fact that.. you have the #1 pick. PHI has #3.

You're really telling me the best you could get from them was #3 back, and then an absurdly protected 2018 Lakers Pick that PHI still gets to keep if it's #1.. or #6-30.. really?

And in 2019, we have to hope SAC are still bad, but there's a possibility it's not a Top-5 pick (and Philly will probably be good by that time as well).

And Ainge practically gift-wrapped Fultz to PHI as a result.

[tankcity!]

Ainge obviously felt that the difference between the talent available at 3 and the talent available at 1 was negligible.

Hope he is right.

I hope so too. I like Tatum a lot too. Was a bigger fan of Fultz. It just sucks we're going to be comparing these two players for the rest of their careers.

[hardlyyardley]

Hopefully closer than Sam Bowie vs Michael Jordan

Although I really like Tatum's game

[Green-18]

Okay so if we didn't end up trading for Butler and George, why the F did we give Philly such an amazing young core our Celtics team will have to compete with for the coming years? It doesn't make sense to me unless we were going to have a good mix of veteran stars and young stars...We're only left with young unproven players at this point.

I believe in Brown personally, but if Tatum and Brown turn into a Smart/Bradley level player we're screwed basically.

Also Ainge has really sucked at drafting recently.His past nine first-round picks before this year’s draft are Brown, Yabusele, Zizic, Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, Marcus Smart, James Young, Jared Sullinger, and Fab Melo. So we really couldn't have traded for Noel last year?

Is anyone else sick of these low first round picks?

The narrative on this trade is incomplete until we find out what LA 2018/Sac 2019/Philly 2019 becomes.  What if we end up with two top 5 picks next year and the draft class proves to be as strong as advertised?  Porter, Doncic, Ayton, and Bamba all look to be top tier prospects with higher ceilings than this draft class.  Of course this can change quickly but we can't evaluate the trade strictly on Fultz vs Tatum as rookies.  We also have no idea how the landscape of the league will change in regards to existing star players.  The value of the LA 2018 pick will significantly increase in value if it falls in the 2-5 range next year.  The potential trade options could end of being just as appealing and our assets could end up being more valuable in 12 months.  There is always a gamble by waiting but I would categorize it as a very safe move within the context of our existing roster and coaching staff.

As for first round picks I think Danny has been average when picking outside of the top 10.  The only two picks within the top 10 are Smart and Jaylen.  Smart wasn't a major hit but there also weren't any players selected in the first round that ended up becoming great.  As for Jaylen I think it's safe to say that he would be selected #3 if we redrafted today.  I can't say I am impatient yet because our team has made significant improvements each year without sacrificing any major assets.  It's difficult to come down hard until there is a tangible misstep by Danny.

[mctyson]

Okay so if we didn't end up trading for Butler and George, why the F did we give Philly such an amazing young core our Celtics team will have to compete with for the coming years? It doesn't make sense to me unless we were going to have a good mix of veteran stars and young stars...We're only left with young unproven players at this point.

I believe in Brown personally, but if Tatum and Brown turn into a Smart/Bradley level player we're screwed basically.

Also Ainge has really sucked at drafting recently.His past nine first-round picks before this year’s draft are Brown, Yabusele, Zizic, Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, Marcus Smart, James Young, Jared Sullinger, and Fab Melo. So we really couldn't have traded for Noel last year?

Is anyone else sick of these low first round picks?

LOL?

[droopdog7]

Obviously ainge was not in love with fultz.  And if you believe he would have taken Tatum at #1, then the trade was a no brainer.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Lakers didn't get anyone either so that pick is looking like it will likely hit

[Csfan1984]

I feel trade breaks down right now as

1 overall for two 3s overall. So say Fultz vs Tatum and Doncic.

Now if C's are multiple stars away from contending doesn't it make sense to stretch the Nets pick into two very high first?

[Celtics18]

I'm just curious; if we had kept the number one pick, taken Fultz, and Philly had taken Jackson, or Tatum (or maybe Fox or someone else) at three, would we be free of having to compare and worry about whether or not our guy is better?

If, in the above scenario, Jayson Tatum, became a star with the Sixers and Markelle Fultz was just kind of average, everyone would be like "that's ok, Danny.  Taking Fultz was 100% the right thing at the time.  There was no knowing."?

Of course not.

[CelticsBR]

All this topic is non-sense if we accept that Ainge thinks Tatum is in the same (or higher) tier  as Fultz.

If Tatum's qualities > Fultz's, the deal is a  fantastic one.
If Tatum's qualities = Fultz's, the deal is still fantastic.
If Tatum's qualities are a little smaller than Fultz, the deal is a very reasonable low risk, high reward one. Let's suppose we are getting a 1st year Paul Pierce and PHI is getting a 1st year Kobe. We would still get a franchise player plus a reasonable shot at another one. Neither Kobe nor Pierce could win it all without other stars around them.

[droopdog7]

Heard a podcast the other day where the hosts were speculating on some of the top draft choices and well, one of them basically predicted that fultz would be a bust.  They didn't talk about Tatum so who knows what they thought there but the idea that fultz is not all that is out there. 

As others have said, hopefully Danny is right.

[CelticsBR]

OH, and yes, it is very easy to point out that will know more about the "result" of the trade 5 years from now (when the player picked with the new pick show something in the league).

This is a judgement that will evaluate overall the team performance, not Ainges or the FO's decision-making ability. If you are playing poker and you have a pair of Aces and your opponent's decided to go all-in before the flop, you have to pay it. It is simply the correct play in terms of decision-making, even if you end up losing all your money. 

[snively]

All this topic is non-sense if we accept that Ainge thinks Tatum is in the same (or higher) tier  as Fultz.

If Tatum's qualities > Fultz's, the deal is a  fantastic one.
If Tatum's qualities = Fultz's, the deal is still fantastic.
If Tatum's qualities are a little smaller than Fultz, the deal is a very reasonable low risk, high reward one. Let's suppose we are getting a 1st year Paul Pierce and PHI is getting a 1st year Kobe. We would still get a franchise player plus a reasonable shot at another one. Neither Kobe nor Pierce could win it all without other stars around them.

You can accept that Ainge thinks that and completely disagree with him.

Fultz just looked straight up better. More versatile scorer with an elite skill (PNR playmaking) tailor made for today's NBA, bigger for his position, better passer.

The case for Tatum basically boils down to shooting FTs better, shooting better in workouts and being bigger.