Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

For much of the past year, the Celtics had been making a push toward acquiring Pacers forward Paul George. As recently as Friday, Boston still believed it was in the mix to acquire the All-Star.

[…]

The Celtics at that time offered a package centered on the 2017 first-round pick they were to receive from the Nets, as well as three other future first-round choices, a source said. That Nets pick, of course, ultimately turned into the No. 1 overall selection.

Even though George was slated to become a free agent after next season, it was believed that Boston’s reasoning at the time was that it would essentially get two years of George in the playoffs, and that he would become ingrained in the winning culture and hopefully re-sign.

Globe:  The Celtics’ year-long pursuit of Paul George that fell short

Most of the NBA execs I have talked to since Paul George trade feel that Kevin Pritchard was just too hell-bent on keeping George out of Eastern Conference; made it emotional instead of taking the best offer.

Jeff Goodman- ESPN

This is why faulting the Celtics isn’t fair. Ainge did everything he could reasonably do to outbid the Thunder for Paul George. He offered the 2017 Brooklyn pick in a swap at the deadline. He offered three firsts and two solid players on good, unobtrusive contracts more recently. The Celtics offered the better deals in both instances.

Ainge didn’t offer one of the premium picks the Celtics control, like Brooklyn’s 2018 pick, or the protected Lakers 2018/Kings 2019 pick. (We should start calling it the Sauce Castillo Special for simplicity’s sake.) Why was Ainge reluctant? Look at what Indiana ended up taking for George! Boston would have been bidding against itself to offer either of those high-quality picks.

SB Nation: Don’t blame the Celtics for missing on Paul George

“Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis but no picks” as the return for Paul George will be something that stings for a while. I still cannot for the life of me understand how Indiana turned down any of those Boston offers.

Today on ESPN, Adrian Wojnarowski said Indy had three deals on the table: A 3-team deal with Cleveland and Denver that would have gotten them Garry Harris and Cleveland pick, the Thunder deal, and a deal with Boston centered around Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and multiple picks. When the Thunder made their offer, Kevin Pritchard apparently went back to Boston and asked for an updated offer… which Boston wasn’t prepared to make in that moment… so Indy turned and took the OKC deal.

We don’t know what the picks were, what protections may have been on them, or if Ainge was working other deals in the background that also tied up some of the assets Indy was looking for (if it was Crowder & Smart, another deal involving Avery Bradley may well have been necessary to clear room). We can still say with good confidence that Indy passed on a better deal to take Oklahoma City’s offer.

And that’s where my personal frustration sets in. I compare it to playing blackjack.

Sometimes in blackjack you do all the right things and you lose. That’s just how it goes. You split when you have it, you double when it’s right, you make all the right plays and the dealer just beats you. In basketball terms, you make the right offer, include the right picks with the right protections for everyone and someone comes in with a better offer… and you miss out. Shit happens.

But sometimes there’s a player at the table that screws the whole thing up. He’ll hit on 14 when the dealer is showing a 6. He won’t split 8’s. He comes along and basically screws the cards up for everyone else and no matter what you do, a win that should have been yours slips through your fingers.  (I’ve had this happen to me: I’ve got 5/4… he’s got 10/4 vs. dealer 6… he hits and gets an ace… I double and get a 10… everyone else stays… dealer turns a face card… then a 5…. everyone loses. Had that asshole stayed, my double would have given me the ace, the dealer would have busted, and we all would have made money. I seethe inside to this day). This guy is basically Indy’s front office.

Larry Bird was so determined to keep Paul George that he turned down all offers for him. For Indiana, going all in to build around George was just something they felt they had to do. So instead of doing the smart thing, taking Boston’s insane offer, and rebuilding around Markelle Fultz or whomever they selected, they stood pat. The Celtics came back with a lesser deal, but still better than what OKC offered, and that was refused on draft night. Now Paul George is in OKC and Danny Ainge is stuck wondering what the hell else he needed to do.

Should he have sweetened the pot, offered up next year’s Nets pick, and a young player? No, I don’t think so. Ainge certainly COULD have given Indy a Godfather offer but considering what they took for George, Boston would have been bidding against themselves. If Pritchard was making an emotional decision rather than a smart basketball decision, then there’s nothing more that can be done.

As Tom Ziller wrote:

You can’t blame the Boston Celtics for the foolish decisions of other teams, no matter how attractive that may seem.

And let’s cap this off with a beautiful zinger from Sean Grande…

Theory not being given enough weight: Kevin Pritchard had vacation plans next week, no cell service, bad WiFi..better to just do a deal now. https://t.co/pN9qN1Iojr

— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) July 1, 2017

Paul George related links: 

CSNNE: BOSTON SPORTS TONIGHT PODCAST: Paul George trade fallout  |  Blakely: Paul George to Thunder ‘not a good look’ for Celtics

MassLive: Before Paul George was traded to Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics mounted competitive offer  |  Paul George no longer an option for Boston Celtics; Indiana Pacers trade star to Oklahoma City Thunder

Herald: Bulpett: Celtics miss out on Paul George; many around NBA shocked

Page 2: Miami is going all out for Hayward

Miami with the full-court press; decorated AAA Arena & the following at the meeting:

Zo
Riley
Spo
Quinn
Juwan
Haslem
Whiteside

May be more pic.twitter.com/LYR0PVBFl7

— Scott Foster Enthusiast (@DontHateTheH3at) July 1, 2017

Yeah, this is pure Miami… A big show with the glitz and glamour. It’s a hell of a recruiting tool. I gotta say… if I stepped out of a limo, saw my face up there right near the beach, and got that full court press… it’d be hard to say no.

 

Things can obviously change after meetings. But Miami clearly should not be underestimated as a destination. It won't be an easy choice.

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 1, 2017

I personally don’t put much stock into Miami’s lifestyle for  Gordon Hayward… a straight-laced family man with kids and disciple of Brad Stevens. I bet Doc Rivers would have shit himself if Blake Griffin ever visited Miami as a free agent… that kind of pitch would probably have worked on him. I’m sure Hayward would think it’s nice… but I don’t know how much that matters.

Spo is a nice coach, but are we really going to say Spo trumps Stevens here?

The “featured scoring role” is an interesting point. He would be Miami’s top option whereas he and Isaiah Thomas would need to work some things out. But there is plenty of opportunity for Hayward to top his 21.9 ppg, a career-high, in Boston.

You never know what a player will want in free agency. Miami has the lifestyle, Boston has the coach and a clearer path to winning, Utah has the comfort and a whole lot more money.

Brad Stevens already recruited Gordon Hayward once. If he can’t do it again, it’s because someone else just has something else Boston can’t offer. Going back to my blackjack analogy from earlier… this is a hand that will be played right. Boston just has to hope the cards fall right.

Gordon Hayward related links: 

CSNNE: Blakely: George trade puts spotlight on Hayward decision  | How does Paul George trade to Thunder impact Celtics’ pursuit of Gordon Hayward?

ESPN Boston: Is Boston, Miami or Utah the best spot for Gordon Hayward?

Herald: Gordon Hayward starting his free-agent tour, as West gets tougher

Globe: Heat put up banner for Hayward’s visit  |  Gordon Hayward to visit Celtics on Sunday  |  Washburn: Celtics really need to sign Gordon Hayward now

ProJo: The Green Line Podcast: What’s Celtics’ next move in pursuit of Gordon Hayward

And Finally… the Rainin’ Jays have already bonded

“By the look in his eyes, it’s like everything is new to him coming out of high school, coming out of college, 19 years old,” said Brown. “I was 19 last year, so there’s going to be a lot of questions that have to be asked. At least he has someone here this year that’s seen everything the same thing that he’s seeing. So I can give him a lot more advice and help him out a little bit because I was in the exact same position last year.

“We’ve been working out together pretty much every day, I think, since we’ve both been back,” he said. “So it’s only been two days, but I think we’re doing it. We’re in the weight room together. We’re doing the same workouts. I guess everything is together. So we’re going to get better together, grow together, and continue to get better. And keep moving toward the season.”

Herald: Jaylen Brown ready to play big brother for Jayson Tatum

Taking a breather from free agency madness for a second, it’s already fun to watch these guys work out together. It’s going to be a big help for Tatum to have Jaylen Brown around to help guide him through things. Just from the standpoint of travel and expectations of your personal time, having a guy your age around to let you know what to expect is a big advantage.

Oh yeah… I’m going with Rainin’ Jays for these guys. Sure, 7/11 is a nice nickname but I’m not beyond plugging the podcast as often as possible. Speaking of which… here’s Jay King and Sam Packard with the immediate reaction to the Paul George trade:

[protected-iframe id=”6e202f85d29a2e226a2038dbe2b0f40a-114320562-1227608″ info=”//embeds.audioboom.com/posts/6067996-locked-on-celtics-july-1-instant-reaction-to-paul-george-trade/embed/v4?eid=AQAAAEDAV1kcl1wA” width=”100%” height=”300″ frameborder=”0″ style=”background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; max-width: 700px;” scrolling=”no”]

Related links: MassLive: Boston Celtics summer league 2017: Jaylen Brown taking Jayson Tatum under his wing  |  Projo: Celts’ Brown showing top pick Tatum the path to success  |  Globe: Meanwhile, Celtics summer league team is hard at work

The rest of the links

ESPN Boston: Boston is waiting for a summer splash; will Danny Ainge deliver?  |  Bulls waive veteran Rondo after only 1 season

Herald: Warriors sign Steph Curry to record contract  |  Ricky Rubio traded from Wolves to Jazz for 1st-round pick  |  As Celtics boss Danny Ainge chases key free agent, son lines up against him  |  Ante Zizic suits up for Celtics, ready to test NBA waters