Danny Ainge just took the whole NBA execs to school

[TheLand13]

Yeah the Wolves and Cavs are desperate for relevance and overpaid for it.

I fail to see how Cleveland overpaid. Those picks they gave up aren't going to amount to much since Cleveland will be a playoff team for years to come. Keep in mind, Allen, Mobley and Garland are all under the age of 24. And Mitchell turns 26 this year. For some teams like the Nets, it makes little sense because their top players are coming close to the tail ends of their careers. But that is not the case for Cleveland.

[gabri3l3]

how can you be sure the players you will select with those picks (arguably all late 1st round) will even sniff to be as good as Mitchell and Gobert?

You can't, but you also don't get any where without taking a chance. Utah wasn't winning a championship with the roster as it was and there was little else to really pop that was in Mitchell's timeline. It was either mediocrity and lose Mitchell and Gobert, else get value now and get pieces that may work better.

Frankly, I'm glad they went with the latter.

they had a perennial 50+ win team, a lucky crack here and there and you could have gotten to the finals. now all the hope resides in picking someone as good as the best defender in the league and a dynamic shot creator who is arguably a top 20 player in the league. meh

and I didnt mention the total wasteland the team will be in next 4 years at least.

maybe by 2026 they will have a team as good as the mitchell and gobert jazz

[Bornstellar]

Commendable for sure. Wish SA had done the same in the summer of 17 and just sold Kawhi and LMA to the highest bidder. Ainge definitely has some balls

[dc]

Show me one team that has won a championship by hoarding picks and turning the franchise into a disgrace for years on end.

It’s the most lauded team-building strategy that has never produced even a finalist.

To be fair, the Jazz never won a title before with Stockton and Malone and then subsequently doing much shorter than expected rebuilds after them. Well run franchise that never really tanked and did things the right way, but they have zero championships to show for that.

Edit: Also, tanking built a finalist for OKC. And they might have a championship or 3 to show for it had they had an ownership that could pay the lux tax.

[taikibansei]

I'm just glad that six of those first round picks (three unprotected), two of those unprotected swaps and two of those young players--aka wanted Danny wanted from us--are not actually from the Knicks.

I think we dodged a bullet. This said, good luck to Cleveland and to Minnesota. It's risky in both cases, but they're far closer to justifying going "all-in" than we are.

The T-Wolves should be OK. Even in 2029, KAT and ANT should still be within their primes and presumably still making the playoffs.

Cavs are also a talented team with a young core. So this isn't a Nets situation where they were trading old, former all-stars that everyone knew were about to fall off a cliff.

Yeah, as I've posted repeatedly elsewhere, I liked the trades for both Cleveland and Minnesota. They're risky, yes, but with a few additional tweaks (buyout market?) and a little bit of luck, both teams could be in the conference finals as early as next season.

Unlike the Knicks, where due to the poor roster fit, adding Mitchell would have still left us in the 7-10 seed range.

[Effigy]

He absolutely screwed over the TWolves, but the Cavs deal really isn't that great for him. He gave up a 25 year old top 15 player for 3 picks that may not turn out to be anything. Trying to lump that in on the strength of the Gobert deal is ridiculous.

[BobbyPortisEyes]

Ainge was trying to accommodate Mitchell and send him to Miami or New York, but those teams didn't accommodate the Jazz.

hahah no he wasn’t, he could care less what happens to Mitchell and used the Knicks as leverage. Ainge is ruthless and that’s what makes him one of the best.

[dc]

He absolutely screwed over the TWolves, but the Cavs deal really isn't that great for him. He gave up a 25 year old top 15 player for 3 picks that may not turn out to be anything. Trying to lump that in on the strength of the Gobert deal is ridiculous.

All these picks he's getting are really just ancillary to the lotto picks that Collin Sexton is about to commandeer the tank for. That's why he felt he needed to unload Mitchell before the season even started.

Teams these days that trade stars and are looking to rebuild would rather just have those kinds of picks + ability to tank right. That's why Houston wanted nothing to do with the Laverts or even Allens of the world.

[Effigy]

He absolutely screwed over the TWolves, but the Cavs deal really isn't that great for him. He gave up a 25 year old top 15 player for 3 picks that may not turn out to be anything. Trying to lump that in on the strength of the Gobert deal is ridiculous.

All these picks he's getting are really just ancillary to the lotto picks that Collin Sexton is about to commandeer the tank for. That's why he felt he needed to unload Mitchell before the season even started.

Teams these days that trade stars and are looking to rebuild would rather just have those kinds of picks + ability to tank right. That's why Houston wanted nothing to do with the Laverts or even Allens of the world.

Right, clearly he wanted to blow up the team and tank. That's why he didn't get to make a very good deal. Everyone knew that's what he wanted to do. He tried to pretend he was fine with keeping Mitchell and competing for the 9 seed, but that was a joke. Everyone knew Mitchell was getting moved.

I'm merely talking about the assets he got back from the deal. And they're not that great. At least now. Who knows, maybe he gets the number 1 pick in 2027 or whenever the picks convey, but they could just as easily get #22 that year. For right now, 3 picks for a 25 year old Mitchell isn't great. It accomplishes what Ainge wanted to do, which is get bad fast, but it's not the windfall that the Gobert deal was.

[seren]

Oh yeah. Dismantle a 50+ win team with two all star players (one DPOY) and guarantee lottery for the next decade. Absolutely great job security for Danny Ainge. He can continue to sell a dream without doing providing nothing on the floor

[dc]

Oh yeah. Dismantle a 50+ win team with two all star players (one DPOY) and guarantee lottery for the next decade. Absolutely great job security for Danny Ainge. He can continue to sell a dream without doing providing nothing on the floor

That was a team that everyone knew had maxed out 2 years ago and was only going to get worse. And one of those all-stars is 30 and due for some really big bucks.

This is exactly when to make such a trade. Not 2 years later when Gobert is 32 and Mitchell only has 1 year left on his contract.

[Jadoogar]

Yeah the Wolves and Cavs are desperate for relevance and overpaid for it.

I fail to see how Cleveland overpaid. Those picks they gave up aren't going to amount to much since Cleveland will be a playoff team for years to come. Keep in mind, Allen, Mobley and Garland are all under the age of 24. And Mitchell turns 26 this year. For some teams like the Nets, it makes little sense because their top players are coming close to the tail ends of their careers. But that is not the case for Cleveland.

I agree this was a good trade for Cleveland but i would be careful about saying "they won't amount to much". Those picks don't start conveying until 25 and the NBA has repeatedly shown things can change extremely quickly

[Bobbymcgee]

Still have to dump Conley, Clarkson and Bogdanovic and Rudy Gay. Then you add in Sexton, Beasley, Vanderbilt, and THT to the above players. That is a Jazz team that is still too good to feel secure in acquiring a top 3 pick IMO. Got to make more trades to get in full tank mode.

[Shock Defeat]

Oh yeah. Dismantle a 50+ win team with two all star players (one DPOY) and guarantee lottery for the next decade. Absolutely great job security for Danny Ainge. He can continue to sell a dream without doing providing nothing on the floor

This is the Sam Presti playbook. No one has more job security than him because there are no expectations. The only expectation is to lose as much as possible. Even if it doesn't work out, it won't be until 5 years down the line, by then Ainge I bet is already looking to retire. This is just him getting an easy paycheck with no pressure.

[seren]

Oh yeah. Dismantle a 50+ win team with two all star players (one DPOY) and guarantee lottery for the next decade. Absolutely great job security for Danny Ainge. He can continue to sell a dream without doing providing nothing on the floor

That was a team that everyone knew had maxed out 2 years ago and was only going to get worse. And one of those all-stars is 30 and due for some really big bucks.

This is exactly when to make such a trade. Not 2 years later when Gobert is 32 and Mitchell only has 1 year left on his contract.

Yep. Now he gets to sell a dream for the next decade. As I said, great job security move! You can never fail with picks that won’t even be there for half a decade.

Utah Jazz fans may start watching middle school basketball. That is where their future is

[queridiculo]

The Cavs trade looks great on paper until you realize that the pick swaps are practically worthless and that there's a good chance that the picks the Cavs will end up conveying will end up being in the 20s.

[NO-KG-AI]

Oh yeah. Dismantle a 50+ win team with two all star players (one DPOY) and guarantee lottery for the next decade. Absolutely great job security for Danny Ainge. He can continue to sell a dream without doing providing nothing on the floor

Ainge has been in the lottery 3 times in like 20 years of work in the front office. I doubt it takes them anywhere close to 10 years to be competitive.

DAnny has delivered a ton of success. The Celtics have advanced past the first round more than they haven't, they've won a title, been to multiple finals, and a bunch of ECF.

You can make a bunch of legit criticisms of Danny, but sitting around and selling years and years of not competing or tanking is not one of them.

[dc]

Yep. Now he gets to sell a dream for the next decade. As I said, great job security move! You can never fail with picks that won’t even be there for half a decade.

Utah Jazz fans may start watching middle school basketball. That is where their future is

The Jazz have historically been a well run franchise. Everyone said they'd be nothing once Stockton and Malone retired, but they showed to be very competent and built a winning team again (2 .500 seasons sandwiched around 1 tank season) when nobody expected them to and were right back in the playoffs. Then when the Boozer/Deron/AK47 core ran it's course, it didn't take them all that long to build their next core, when nobody expected it.

Now they're doing another rebuild many years later, but they're doing it with a far greater warchest.

[mg]

Yeah the Wolves and Cavs are desperate for relevance and overpaid for it.

I fail to see how Cleveland overpaid. Those picks they gave up aren't going to amount to much since Cleveland will be a playoff team for years to come. Keep in mind, Allen, Mobley and Garland are all under the age of 24. And Mitchell turns 26 this year. For some teams like the Nets, it makes little sense because their top players are coming close to the tail ends of their careers. But that is not the case for Cleveland.

I agree this was a good trade for Cleveland but i would be careful about saying "they won't amount to much". Those picks don't start conveying until 25 and the NBA has repeatedly shown things can change extremely quickly

Exactly. Is DM even signed past '25? Whose to say a small backcourt is even going to work in Cleveland? 3 years is an eternity in the NBA.

[mg]

Still have to dump Conley, Clarkson and Bogdanovic and Rudy Gay. Then you add in Sexton, Beasley, Vanderbilt, and THT to the above players. That is a Jazz team that is still too good to feel secure in acquiring a top 3 pick IMO. Got to make more trades to get in full tank mode.

The #7 seed has jumped up to the top 3 every year since they started the new lottery system.. I feel safe saying the Jazz are going to get a top 3 pick within the next few seasons.