I agree with you dirt. Boston is in a strong position and they do not need to mess up the chemistry for one year Kawhi Leonard.I_Like_Dirt wrote:verbal8 wrote:I think Boston may have missed an opportunity.
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/250823/Celtics-Reportedly-Offered-Several-Of-Their-Best-Draft-Assets-To-Spurs-For-Kawhi-Leonard
I am also curious what they could offer in terms of salary if they weren't offering a top 5 player(s).
I think they should have been willing to deal a starter, offering Irving or Hayward would have made a lot of sense and been a better offer than DeRozan.
I'm guessing they were trying to peddle Marcus Smart in a sign and trade. Marcus Smart for the kind of contract that would have worked for Kawhi Leonard in return... yuck.
As for "several of their best draft assets," the Celtics have a Clippers 1st that turns into a 2nd rounder if the Clippers don't make the playoffs in the next 2 seasons, and their own picks are going to be terrible. They have exactly 2 good draft assets. One is the Kings/Sixers pick, where they get the Kings pick unless the Kings win the #1 spot at which point they get the Sixers pick. Well, the Kings are going to be awful but they aren't going to be tanking because they don't control their own pick, so this is closer to last year's Brooklyn pick the Celtics traded to the Cavs: likely to be a middling lottery pick unless the Kings win the 2nd or 3rd pick. They also have a Grizzlies pick who's protections are top 8, top 6, then unprotected. Again, the Grizzlies aren't normally a tanking team, so I think it's likely that they wind up giving up a pick either this year or next, so a very good pick, but not a top lottery pick or anything. And that's the end of their draft assets.
If the Celtics weren't willing to put the likes of Brown or Tatum into the trade, they'd have had a very hard time beating the Raptors' offer. Hayward had one good season and then was injured for a season afterwards. If he's the same Hayward he was in his first several seasons rather than his final season in Utah, he isn't better than Derozan, and he hasn't played yet after missing last season. Irving is a bit better than Demar, but they're closer to the same ballpark than is often suggested. Neither are good defenders, and while Irving was more efficient in Boston last season, historically he hasn't been nearly so efficient, and he's both more injury prone than Demar, has complained more than Demar, and is a free agent after a single season and is already talking about leaving... just like some Leonard guy. Poeltl was recently a top 10 pick, and he's shown himself reasonably thus far. I'm not so sure he's really so different than the Grizzlies or Kings picks at this point. Ainge did his Ainge thing and played conservative. Normally, blame him, but this time I'm not so sure. I don't think Kawhi was the right gamble for the Celtics given the timing involved.
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