Looking at the lay of the NBA landscape, two things become blatantly clear and I hope we accept them:
- superstars are drafted and groomed and not traded for.
- superstars are magnets, having one will attract more... but you must have one
Look at all of our trade / FA targets: Jimmy Butler (drafted by Bulls), DMC (drafted by Kings), Durant (drafted by Thunder), Horford (drafted by Hawks).
If the possibility of us striking out on all of our targets come true, it's not Danny's fault; it's the reality that we simply don't have a superstar... one-year all-stars don't count. Once a superstar emerges in a market, they will likely stay and attract more superstars. Without the pull of playing with Paul Pierce, we never would have attracted KG and Ray. Also see Miami, Cavs, Spurs, etc.
But the first step is not Free Agency or Trades, it's drafting and grooming your own superstar that will attract others to want to play with them. Here is where our biggest problem lie going forward though, CBS doesn't force feed rookies minutes in the way a Phoenix will with Booker, or TWolves with their young core or Turner with Pacers. We have rookies that are stuck behind serviceable vets that simply aren't getting the on-court time they need to develop. Losing ET and missing out on big FA prospects may be a blessing because we finally have to play our young core. Look at the emergence of McCollom and Crabbe in Portland.
As much as we are in the playoffs I still think we are a rebuilding team that needs a star and teams are reluctant to move their cornerstones and superstars are reluctant to sign on a team with no superstar... irrespective of how "promising" they are.
With that said, I now fully on board the Jaylen train because we need him to become our own superstar