Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
The Jazz, Pacers, and Celtics (only if Kyrie leaves in FA) could show trade interest in Mike Conley, per Woj.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 12, 2019
BSJ’s Brian Robb linked Boston and Conley about a month ago. As stated back then, the most logical path of acquisition involves the Celtics sending draft pick compensation (late 1st?) to Kyrie Irving’s new team of choice in order to facilitate a sign and trade. The S&T creates a $32 million trade exception which allows Boston to absorb Conley’s contract after moving draft picks to acquire him.
While it’s not flashy, I see the logic in pairing veterans Conley and Hayward (each with two years remaining on massive contracts) with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford. If Tatum and Brown make the leaps we expect them to make, then that roster will compete in the East.
In a draft special on ESPN, Woj stated the Celtics will likely pivot away from Anthony Davis if Irving bolts) and that the Celtics prefer not to make all three of their 1st round draft picks. Duh.
UPDATE: Due to some tricky salary cap stuff, the Celtics would only be able to recoup a $20.1 million trade exception for Irving. That means any deal for Conley would involve some players going to match. I would not trade Hayward for Conley.
On Page 2, Jayson Tatum states the obvious.
“We did have a lot of talent, a lot, a lot of guys,” Tatum told Goodman. “I don’t know what people believe on the outside, but we had a lot of good guys. Everybody wanted to win. Everybody wanted to make it work, but I don’t know if we knew how to exactly do that. We all got along great, on the plane, off the court, but even watching film, it didn’t necessarily look like we were all on the page during the games. And it’s not one person’s fault. It’s not Brad’s fault, or Danny’s fault, we all played a part. People can blame the GM and the coach, but we still had to go out there and perform and do our job, and like I said, we didn’t always do it.”
Regardless of how the roster shakes out, next year is going to be a lot more fun. It has to be, right?
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