Bulpett: Ainge likes Dennis Smith Jr, Might move down

[A Future of Stevens]

A 6'2 hyper athlete with t rex arms? Pass

[Boris Badenov]

Danny gets a rep for trading but never does unless it is for picks.

Ray Allen?
Kevin Garnett?
Isaiah Thomas?

"Never does unless it's for picks."

Don't interrupt the narrative, man. We all know Danny Ainge never drafts Euros, never trades for players, never drafts anyone who can shoot or above 6'1", can't land a big free agent, never allows his coaches to play rookies, can't evaluate young talent, never makes big deals and always makes small ones, and in general seems dead set on keeping us on the treadmill of mediocrity.

[celticinorlando]

Danny gets a rep for trading but never does unless it is for picks.

Ray Allen?
Kevin Garnett?
Isaiah Thomas?

"Never does unless it's for picks."

That was like 10 years ago with KG and Ray...since then it has been more about shedding salary and collecting picks...Thomas was a good deal but I don't think ainge even though they would get that lucky

How many other GMs have traded for three players like KG, Ray and IT over the last 10 years? I'll wait.

And why is it "lucky" just because it was a great deal?

I certainly don't think Thomas was a part of the long term plans...he just turned out well. It was more of dumping Thorton's contract.

[ManUp]

Lol, Danny is a troll.

[hodgy03038]

He is putting doubt in everyone's minds so that he can try to swindle someone. He's just going to draft Jackson or Tatum. There would be uproar if he traded down again for a small guard when he could have stayed at 1 and got a big guard - not that we need another guard.

[KJ33]

As many posts about the draft are, it seems there is a bit of an overreaction to this Herald article by some.  What the article actually stated was:

"One NBA exec told the Herald that Ainge would love to find a way to get North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who isn’t rated as high as the third overall pick. Another (exec) said the Celts were looking at perhaps moving down in the draft again and picking up another asset for their trouble."

Those two statements by two different execs are not necessarily linked.  Ainge would love to "find a way" to get DS Jr., meaning he likes him.  The Celtics are looking perhaps at moving down in the draft.  This does not necessarily mean that DA is looking to move down in the draft by surrendering the #3 pick for Smith.  Danny has always been known to explore multiple scenarios to nab guys he likes.  I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and just see what actually unfolds tomorrow.  Bulpett and all writers are struggling for material now, none of it means much in terms of what will happen.  I think Danny has a good handle on how to value assets and in the end, this isn't going to mean the Celtics end up with Smith instead of Fulz and some remote chance at a future pick.

The Celtics are going to be a very good team next year, and whatever happens tomorrow is only going to solidify that position even more.

[jpotter33]

My take on this new report:

[max215]

My take on this new report:

Pretty much. And a TP, because Archer is my favorite show.

[colincb]

I think Danny may have a limited target unless someone later in the top 10 where Smith is likely to go wants to throw in a 2018 first. My guess is the target would be SAC who supposedly covets getting Jackson or Fox. Fox has been tied to PHX too and is reputedly a lock to go to one or the other if the Lakers do not take him at 2.

SAC supposedly both turned down an LAL deal for the 2nd pick using 5+10 and before was not interested in doing a 3 for 5+10 with PHI. Therefore, I do not see a trade 3 for 5+10 straight up deal working. I could see Danny trading the 3 for the 5 and 34 though which is fair. That would leave Danny getting one of the three forwards and likely a choice between two of them. Otherwise, some trade like what the Ringer suggested could be worked out somehow.

June 19, 2017: The Kings are “starved” for Kansas forward Josh Jackson, according to The Vertical’s Chris Mannix. The vibe I get from chatting with league sources is there’s a distinct possibility that the Kings would look to move up ahead of Phoenix (no. 4) for Jackson, possibly using the no. 5 and no. 10 picks, but they’d need more back than just the no. 3 pick. If I were the Kings, I’d want Crowder, who is locked into a cheap deal through 2020, or Smart, who the Kings were targeting in the 2014 draft. It’s doubtful the Celtics would be willing to cough up either player, but they need to trim salary to have maximum cap space. The Kings have good reason to ask for a nice player in return.

[jpotter33]

My take on this new report:

Pretty much. And a TP, because Archer is my favorite show.

TP back at ya. It's Archer, Bob's Burgers, or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for me. So many quotable moments from those three shows!

But, yeah, seems like misdirection to me. At this point, I have no idea what Danny's ultimate plan is for the draft and free agency. I still suspect there's more to it than draft Tatum/Jackson and sign Hayward or Griffin, since that still leaves us with significant holes.

[jyyzzoel]

A 6'2 hyper athlete with t rex arms? Pass

Got measured the other day at 6'3 with 6'5 wingspan. Steph Curry is 6'3 with 6'3 wingspan

[biggs]

Good I want him too. i wrote a confusing post about trading down to get both Isaac and Smith jr

[celticinorlando]

Getting 5 and 10 would be interesting...agree with above poster Kings would want something else in return...

Getting Isaac at 5 AND Smith would be nice. Wonder in that situation who the Suns take? Tatum? Fox?

[max215]

My take on this new report:

Pretty much. And a TP, because Archer is my favorite show.

TP back at ya. It's Archer, Bob's Burgers, or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for me. So many quotable moments from those three shows!

But, yeah, seems like misdirection to me. At this point, I have no idea what Danny's ultimate plan is for the draft and free agency. I still suspect there's more to it than draft Tatum/Jackson and sign Hayward or Griffin, since that still leaves us with significant holes.

At this point, I'm done guessing what Danny will actually do. There's so much misinformation out there, so I'll just work under the assumption that nothing changes and we pick at #3. No point in trying to predict the actions of a mad man.

[wayupnorth]

It never ceases to amaze me how little people trust Danny. He is clearly, without question, a top five GM right now.

He knows more than every single one of us here, and will always make a better decision than any of us would make, even if he doesn't bat 1.000.

Some of you are just ridiculous.