The past 12 months have not gone as planned for Danny Ainge and the Celtics. After electing to stick with an overachieving young core in 2017-18 once the All-Star talent returned to the lineup, that understandable gamble backfired. Now, all options are on the table again as the 2019 offseason begins, starting with a crucial decision about the pursuit of Anthony Davis, who could be dealt as soon as next week with the NBA Draft looming.
The Celtics’ best path forward right now remains a bit of a mystery. The team openly admitted to as much last week, especially as Kyrie Irving appears likely to walk out the door towards New York once July 1st hits.
“There’s a domino that would fall if it was my world and wanted to do everything that I wanted but it doesn’t work that way, so we’re just prepared for lots -- like right now, today, we’re preparing for the draft,” Ainge said. “We’re preparing to make draft picks and at the same time, this afternoon, we’ll probably be looking at possible trade of those draft picks and having conversations with people around the league. So it’s all going on right now. There’s a lot of discussion. We have a variety of ways we can make our team different, and hopefully better, and we’re looking at those options.”
One path towards improving is adding an All-Star like Davis to the mix but the impact of that acquisition comes down to cost. What the Celtics are willing to offer given the flight risk involved with Davis is the main question that the front office will need to tackle in the next week. There are all sorts of variables involved without clear answers as well. Does landing Davis make Irving reconsider his decision to leave at all? What will the East look like next year? How good would the Celtics be with Davis and without Tatum? All sorts of intel need to be collected before a final decision is made on what type of offer the Celtics are willing to put on the handle.
So while there is no doubt that the Celtics have had discussions with David Griffin in the past week, one thing that has been absent from the rumor mill:
What exactly the Celtics are offering for the All-Star.
This is no coincidence. To their credit, the Celtics run one of the tightest ships in the league when it comes keeping sensitive topics in house. Leaks don’t get out unless they want them out, especially with a tough negotiation like this. Ainge trusts Griffin based on their long-term relationship so he can feel comfortable knowing that he won’t leak sensitive details about their personnel. Meanwhile, it’s no secret that some big names (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown or Marcus Smart) have to be on the table for a Davis deal to work financially. Yet, no specifics have leaked yet about the offer. Compare that to what we are hearing out of the Lakers camp this afternoon alone.
The Lakers have made Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and the No. 4 pick in the June 20 draft available in trade talks with the Pelicans, league sources say. New Orleans has made it known it hope to assemble a three-teams-or-more deal before surrendering Anthony Davis
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 12, 2019
"I don't think Kuzma is a dealbreaker. It's more the total weight of the number of assets... If Kuzma is not in the deal, it's more like the Lakers would have to give up something in the future." @ramonashelburne on AD deal
Listen now on ESPNLA 710 ? https://t.co/Wda75J3NBi pic.twitter.com/lckUFD5sQS
— ESPNLosAngeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) June 13, 2019
The Lakers, thus far, are sticking to their no-Kuzma trade posture ... but let’s see if they maintain it with the draft only a week away now. L.A. knows it likely needs to land Anthony Davis before June 30 to become a factor in chasing a prime free agent to join a LeBron/AD duo
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 13, 2019
Windhorst says Pels and Lakers are talking, but he still thinks NOP are making it known the 4 pick is on the table because he wants the Celtics to hear that.
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) June 13, 2019
