I agree that the Turner hate is overblown. That said, if Danny can't pull a 2 for 1, will he consider cutting Turner and just eating his contract?
While he doesn't deserve that based on talent, it could make sense if the C's plan to let Smart handle the ball more this year and if Danny doesn't think he can get anything of value for Turner on the trade market.
Why the heck would he do that? Turner made our team better last year. He went off and traded for David Lee, and signed Amir Johnson, because we're not tanking. We're not committing long-term to guys who won't get us out of the second-round, but we're not trying to lose as we wink and say we're not. The players most likely to be cut to get us to 15 are, in order:
1) Dragic -- virtual certainty, surprised if he makes it to camp
2) PJ3 -- we got a draft pick for taking his contract, and cash to pay for most of it. He gets a chance to earn a roster spot, but he's on the outside looking in.
3) James Young -- a decision has to be made at the end of training camp to pick up his option for next season. Ainge is keeping an eye towards minimizing salary next year. If he looks like he's at least another year away, I would be surprised but not shocked to see him go. We have so many draft picks coming up that we're going to miss on a couple, and if PJ3 beats him out for a roster spot, so be it.
4) Jared Sullinger -- He's much less likely, but if he shows up to camp still out of shape, then Young and PJ3 both have the chance to beat him out for the roster spot. There are 6 bigs on the roster, and many lineups will only have one on the court at a time. I don't expect that this will occur, because I will believe for now that Sullinger is hard at work. But if he's not, he'll give PJ3 and Young the opportunity to pass him.
Turner is not getting cut. If Smart is ready for more ball handling duties, Turner will play less, but he's not getting cut. It's a long season, and injuries will occur -- he'll be needed at some point. The only way ET is released is if he blows out his knee or Achilles in training camp, since he's on an expiring and wouldn't be able to help all season. We are not such a good team that Evan Turner is beneath our talent level.