If the Celtics keep Hayward, Danny has no choice but to include at least one of Tatum or Brown, plus Smart, and additional salary filler. Smart was Danny’s key signing last off season to help facilitate the Davis trade, as the Celtics needed to help match salary. A 2019 draft pick in the 2-4 range would have helped alleviate some of the need to match salary, as that would have been an additional $6-9 million. It looks like we’re focused on what talent to trade, and forgetting about arguably the biggest factor. If we can’t match salary, we can’t even make an offer.
If I'm not mistaken, future draft picks hold no value (towards matching salary) in a trade. If Danny includes all three of the 2019 draft picks, the Celtics would have to make those picks for New Orleans, before completing the trade, in order to help match salaries. Is that correct?