Author Topic: Bulpett: Danny is seemingly highly confident about draft/free agency this summer  (Read 8806 times)

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Online jpotter33

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http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2017/02/danny_waits_til_next_hand

Good read per usual from Bulpett. Seemed Danny had a pretty hard line about potential trades because he's highly confident about both this draft and potential free agency this summer. You have to think that he has it on good information that we have a good shot at one of the bigger free agents this summer. It has to be Hayward, right? Or could Griffin really even be in play?

Quote
The Celtics have chosen the status quo at the trade deadline, though, according to league sources, there is question about just how much of that was by actual choice.

What’s clear is that by not being able to deal for a significant talent at this time, Danny Ainge has turned up the pressure on himself to have a very big summer.

The word from around the league, over the last several days in particular, was that Ainge was growing very protective of this year’s Nets pick and the ability to be a player in free agency. Though some took that as a posturing, others who dealt with him believed it to be the case when the Celts held the line in certain negotiations.

Ainge will have another chance to remake his roster in the days leading up to the June 22 draft, and that picture will come into greater focus in the May 16 draft lottery. But if he is unable to make a trade for a needed star at that time, he and the Celtics will be staring down the barrel on draft night and in the free agent signing period.

As it stands, the Nets will be delivering no worse than a top four pick in what is said to be a strong draft. While it is certainly true that teams have tanked their season to get a shot like this — process-trusting and all that — it will nonetheless be incumbent on Ainge to hit on this choice. In a year with potentially transformative players in the top reaches, Ainge has to get one.

And even if he does, there will be further burden to make a score in the free agent market. NBA sources said the Celts were very reticent to give up their ability to sign a maximum-level player this summer, and it will be interesting to see whether they have a fair expectation of success in this area.

Ainge was most definitely not able to get what he was seeking this week, at least not at the price he was willing to pay. In the cases of their two biggest targets, Paul George and Jimmy Butler, there were roadblocks they and the other clubs were unable to overcome.

According to sources, the Celtics did include the Nets’ first-round picks (2017 in a swap positions scenario, 2018 unencumbered) separately in their offers. The Chicago negotiations, which have been going on in some form for more than a year, were difficult on a number of fronts, the first of which was the Bulls’ tough choice of whether to even make him available. After taking the ’17 Nets pick off the table, the Celtics were said to be willing to include it, albeit with protections. But things truly dissolved when Chicago, looking to remain competitive in its rebuild, couldn’t find common ground with the C’s on the number and quality of core players that would be involved in the deal.

The first choice of both the Bulls and Pacers was to keep their star and build around him, but Indiana’s move to listen to offers for George was short-circuited by reports that his plans were to either win in Indy or go home to the Lakers as a free agent after next season.

That pretty much ended the fight for the Celtics — and everyone else — at the deadline. Beyond that, the C’s were unable to get P.J. Tucker from Phoenix (he went to Toronto), and word from a Western Conference source is that Memphis ultimately chose not to make JaMychal Green available.

The Celts really weren’t in on anything else of substance.

Anger on the part of some over the failure to go after DeMarcus Cousins is curious on two counts. One, the Celtics have a former Cousins teammate on the roster, and one would think they would have made a play if Isaiah Thomas had told Ainge the talented-but-impulsive center would be a great fit here. Second, in that the C’s weren’t going to surrender this year’s Nets pick, they likely wouldn’t have been able to give Sacramento the ’17 first-rounder it wanted as part of the package. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive was also said to be enamored of Buddy Hield, which allowed the front office to sell him on the deal with New Orleans.

Through it all, the Celtics maintained a stance that projected a seemingly odd confidence about the offseason in a business with so much uncertainty. As for whether Ainge believes he has this thing wired, be advised that some of his peers are wary.

“Danny wasn’t taking the Nets picks or really anything off the table,” said one league executive, “but the fact he was so comfortable waiting for the draft and summer scares the (expletive) out of me.”

Of course, that doesn’t help the Celtics in the present as the Raptors and Wizards improved their rotations. If the sole goal was to get incrementally better right now, the Celts clearly failed. But it’s obvious to Ainge and most everyone else that, without a deal for Butler or George, this team is a sound underdog in a playoff series against a healthy Cleveland.

So if you aren’t going to compete for a championship this season, is there anything you were after now in the market that won’t be there in June — and maybe even at a better price?

If they keep the pick, the Celts will draft in a zone from which most franchise players are derived. But even that will require some measure of patience.

The Celtics got Jaylen Brown out of the No. 3 overall pick last year from the Nets, and it’s interesting to note that, while two years younger at a similar stage, his rookie season compares very favorably to what Butler did in his first two years. There is evidence to suggest better players are at the top of this June’s dispersal, but the C’s still have to make the right pick.

Ainge could have avoided that by pushing his chips into the middle for either Butler or George, giving the Celtics following the splash it desired. But by folding these cards and waiting for the next hand, he’s probably shown more brass — well-founded or not.

Now, rather than being able to fall back on the need for a worthy dance partner to make a big trade, he will be dealing with the draft and free agency, where it’s all on his ability to make the right pick and, in the latter case, convince a marquee player to come to the Celtics.

Offline RJ87

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Maybe they feel like the have a really good shot at Hayward in FA.
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Online jpotter33

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Maybe they feel like the have a really good shot at Hayward in FA.

I'd feel much more comfortable with that route if there was a potential big that we could draft this year, but we're pretty much limited to guards and swings. Still need a major upgrade in the bigs department.

I'm still hoping there's a chance that Griffin considers us in free agency. And if not, I'd be fine with signing any one of Hayward, Milsap, or Ibaka and being a borderline contender while we develop our young guys.

Going to have to trade AB this summer, though.

Online Roy H.

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Maybe they feel like the have a really good shot at Hayward in FA.

I'd feel much more comfortable with that route if there was a potential big that we could draft this year, but we're pretty much limited to guards and swings. Still need a major upgrade in the bigs department.

I'm still hoping there's a chance that Griffin considers us in free agency. And if not, I'd be fine with signing any one of Hayward, Milsap, or Ibaka and being a borderline contender while we develop our young guys.

Going to have to trade AB this summer, though.

I'm on board with signing Hayward and moving AB, Crowder and/or the BRK 2018 for a big. I'm just not sure who will be available.


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Offline Kuberski33

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Having Brad as coach and the culture he's built here is going to make Boston attractive. I think they'll get someone.  And even if they don't I might be good with paying Olynyk and looking for a marginal upgrade up front. 

Offline BitterJim

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Maybe they feel like the have a really good shot at Hayward in FA.

I'd feel much more comfortable with that route if there was a potential big that we could draft this year, but we're pretty much limited to guards and swings. Still need a major upgrade in the bigs department.

I'm still hoping there's a chance that Griffin considers us in free agency. And if not, I'd be fine with signing any one of Hayward, Milsap, or Ibaka and being a borderline contender while we develop our young guys.

Going to have to trade AB this summer, though.

I'm on board with signing Hayward and moving AB, Crowder and/or the BRK 2018 for a big. I'm just not sure who will be available.

Drummond, maybe? If we sign Hayward, I'd try to make a run at both George and Drummond (we don't have the salary for both, but try for both and take whatever price is better)
I'm bitter.

Offline jambr380

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AB and non-BKN picks will definitely be on the table if Hayward agrees to sign with us. I'd imagine a player like WCS or another decent big on a multi-year discount contract would be a priority as it would also give us the ability to sign KO. As SL has laid out, trading Crowder is probably the last thing Ainge is looking to do.

Great article - tp and thanks for posting!

Offline oldtype

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Maybe they feel like the have a really good shot at Hayward in FA.

I'd feel much more comfortable with that route if there was a potential big that we could draft this year, but we're pretty much limited to guards and swings. Still need a major upgrade in the bigs department.

I'm still hoping there's a chance that Griffin considers us in free agency. And if not, I'd be fine with signing any one of Hayward, Milsap, or Ibaka and being a borderline contender while we develop our young guys.

Going to have to trade AB this summer, though.

Thing is, once you have Hayward (or even better, Griffin), you can at that point comfortably put a godfather offer on the table for Butler or George.  I suspect adding two pieces and making us a true contender this summer has been Plan B ever since we missed out on Durant.

There's no guarantee that it works out, but it's a far superior option to overpaying on Butler or George right now and capping us out as a team. 

IT - Butler - Crowder - Griffin - Horford

Something like that would be a team I'd feel pretty comfortable going against Golden State with.


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Offline chambers

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God i love Danny.
I knew he wouldn't put the 17' pick on the table with free agency coming up and teo teams vying for our Brooklyn treasures.
The Bulls are going to be desperate as long as garpax are in charge.

I predict we are eventually going to get Jimmy or PG13 with the Brooklyn 18' pick if we dont sign Hayward.

I would rather give up the 2017 pick for Blake Griffin than Butler or George. Having him next to Horford inside would be amazing.
Horford can still play PF on offense and Blake can play C, with Blake guarindg PFs and Al guarding C's. Doesn't really matter because Horford can sit out on the perimeter and give Blake a tonne of room to bang inside and rebound.

I would also rather keep the 17' pick, draft Fultz, sign Hayward and then give up the 18'pick for Griffin (or just sign him as a free agent).

Attaboy Danny.
"We are lucky we have a very patient GM that isn't willing to settle for being good and coming close. He wants to win a championship and we have the potential to get there still with our roster and assets."

quoting 'Greg B' on RealGM after 2017 trade deadline.
Read that last line again. One more time.

Offline csfansince60s

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TP to the OP......great post/article.

I've thought that Hayward would determine what we were offering at the deadline. This from a thread I started on Hayward the other day:

I can't help but think that Hayward's pending free agency looms large over what the Cs will do trade-wise at this deadline and at the draft.

Despite the tampering rules and the harsh penalties associated with them, I find it really hard to believe that Danny and Brad don't know have a very strong idea as to if Hayward's coming here or not.


I think they've known for awhile.

Hayward for free (cap space) and still having all those assets. That'd be pretty cool.

Offline GreenEnvy

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Maybe they feel like the have a really good shot at Hayward in FA.

I'd feel much more comfortable with that route if there was a potential big that we could draft this year, but we're pretty much limited to guards and swings. Still need a major upgrade in the bigs department.

I'm still hoping there's a chance that Griffin considers us in free agency. And if not, I'd be fine with signing any one of Hayward, Milsap, or Ibaka and being a borderline contender while we develop our young guys.

Going to have to trade AB this summer, though.

I'm on board with signing Hayward and moving AB, Crowder and/or the BRK 2018 for a big. I'm just not sure who will be available.

Trade for Blake? I don't know if it'll be possible because of who we would have to renounce/drop to get Gordon Hayward, but that seems like a real possibility.

Thomas/Smart/Hayward/Griffin/Horford. Yes please.

What would it take to get Blake? Bradley, Crowder, Nets '18? Too much?
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Offline csfansince60s

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Also, love the article and have faith in Ainge and was hoping no major moves to give up major assets.

That being said, this piece sounds like it was written by someone in Cs PR Department for Bulpett.

Love it.

Offline TheSundanceKid

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So if you aren’t going to compete for a championship this season, is there anything you were after now in the market that won’t be there in June — and maybe even at a better price?

This is the key for me. The move that Chicago made seems to indicate more change in June, perhaps with Butler. Chicago may well drop out of the playoffs as well.

As for Toronto and Wiz improving, I'm not bothered. I still think we have some internal growth coming this season, we are yet to be fully healthy.If we manage to add Bogut to the roster off of waivers, perhaps waiving Mickey, then we should shore up the front line and allay some rebounding concerns in certain matchups.

Offline aingeforthree

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Maybe they feel like the have a really good shot at Hayward in FA.

I'd feel much more comfortable with that route if there was a potential big that we could draft this year, but we're pretty much limited to guards and swings. Still need a major upgrade in the bigs department.

I'm still hoping there's a chance that Griffin considers us in free agency. And if not, I'd be fine with signing any one of Hayward, Milsap, or Ibaka and being a borderline contender while we develop our young guys.

Going to have to trade AB this summer, though.

I'm on board with signing Hayward and moving AB, Crowder and/or the BRK 2018 for a big. I'm just not sure who will be available.

Sign Hayward.
Draft Fultz.
Trade 18' BKN with Bradley &/or Crowder for Drummond.

Offline LGC88

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You can't trade the 2018 nets pick lightly. It has the potential to be even better than nets 2017.