A young player on a max deal (who deserves it) is more valuable than multiple role players on market price-deals. The only reason we have our current depth is because Olynyk and Smart are still on their rookie deals. Once they make market level money, they cease to be efficient uses of your cap space. Keeping everybody who is good but not great is simply not realistic and will tie this team down to mediocrity.
Not to mention, why would some of these players even want to stay if Fultz is the obvious heir apparent? They would be signing a contract just to keep a seat warm until they are inevitably traded. You can't just assume everybody would WANT to come back. Will a team with cap space offer Smart a chance to be their starter? Probably not, but wouldn't he do better to go to a team where he has a shot at starting, and isn't locked into a bench role? He was a sixth overall pick, after all.
If we can't sign Hayward I think Ainge will use the space to either extend Bradley or Thomas, and use the rest on Amir Johnson-type flexible deals with options. Flexibility to trade for a star is more important than keeping a possibly untradeable role player on a bad deal.
On mediocrity, I agree if this team was going to be the end goal. It's not, the end goal will be a team built around Fultz, Brown etc. The thing is, we will be a team building around young guys that is always over the cap. It will be difficult for us to ever sign free agents. So we'll rely on trades to improve/maintain our talent level. So I would want tradeable players/contracts which we can use to improve or align talent with those guys. Hayward is a max player, I agree, however does he fit the timeline of Brown and Fultz? If not then are we going to trade him down the line for future assets? I can't see that happening. But I could see that happening with IT, KO and possibly Bradley/Smart.
Yes I could see Smart or KO wanting to go somewhere and start but they are RFAs and we control the final outcome. There is an obvious balance to strike from a GM perspective but Danny has been ready to trade people for years and the players know that. They still give their all for the team.
I think what you suggest is certainly possible as well and would definitely be more effective in the coming years than in past years. The cap rises really ruined our chances of trading for stars. What I would say though is that players keep developing after their rookie deals, just look at Bradley, so we shouldn't assume that KO for example has reached his peak. There is every chance he signs a $12-14m deal and outperforms it.
. Giving up 2 or more likely 3 of Thomas, Smart, Bradley and Olynyk is not worth it.
KO and Smart are never going to be max players and both have their warts. I hate to loose AB but I won't cry if we lose KO nor Smart if he does not turn the corner on his shot. Hayward is better than anyone on that list not named IT.
You can bet Ainge made CBS start KO to get a measure of him for next year against the Cavs, Those games he was found lacking.
Hayward is better than KO, Bradley or Smart, agreed. That doesn't mean that signing him at the expense of those guys is the best move for the franchise. For me it comes down to the timelines. As I have mentioned above we will be a team over the cap when we try to build around Fultz, Brown etc so we will have to rely on trades to add complimentary players instead of free agency.