Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix has a new story about the Celtics potential in the playoffs with a tidbit about Danny Ainge’s summer plan:
The players see a change. A real change. Boston won six of its last eight at the end of the regular season. “I’ve wanted to be optimistic, but all year I never felt that we had turned a corner,” says Horford. “We showed some flashes, but then we don’t look the same. But right now, we’re starting to figure it out as a group. We’re really playing good basketball. I still feel like we can put this thing together.”
The season is salvageable. The future of this team may not be. Irving’s waffling has some believing he is ready to bolt Boston. Ainge isn’t one of them. He communicates with Irving regularly and believes the relationship between player and team remains strong. A five-year, $190 million max offer will be there for Irving on July 1. If he accepts, Boston will direct all its efforts to New Orleans, to Anthony Davis. Ainge had opportunities to retool the roster midseason. He passed, preferring to keep the war chest intact. Beyond its well of young talent, Boston will have at least three first-rounders in this year’s draft; a fourth, Memphis’s top-eight, protected pick, could be conveyed at next month’s draft lottery. If Davis is put up for auction, Ainge will not be outbid.
I don’t find this particularly surprising, but the reaction on Twitter leads me to share it with you all.
Call me a homer or a Green-teamer, but I think Irving is re-signing in Boston. I think the extra $50 million matters a lot. I also think Boston has a strong foundation and great flexibility to get the right mix of players.
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