So now that the season is just about over, all the early goodwill has been intentionally destroyed and we're watching G-League guys pretend to be NBA players while the coach keeps repeating "I tought we didn't give up" like a robot with a thousand yard stare... how do we feel about wasting a year of the prime of one the league's top players?
For all intents and purposes, this looks like a rebuilding team that has its sights on 3 or 4 years down the road. We have tons of picks, a couple of promising rookies, some very young players who may be long-term pieces... and then there's the giant elephant in the room called Lauri.
26 years old in a few weeks, in the absolute, red-hot prime of his career, wants to win and get to the playoffs ASAP, extension eligible soon. On the trade market, his value is through the roof as one of the most efficient scorers in the game that you can pair with absolutely anyone. A deal with a win-now team would probably bring back a huge haul of assets, including a rising star type of guy who's more in line with the timeline of the rest of this team.
I think we'll be very bad next season. Most likely the rookies we draft won't be difference makers, at least for a couple of seasons, and the FA market looks dry this offseason. There may not be a way to improve this roster quickly.
Ainge has a lot of selling to do. I have no idea how he'll convince Lauri to sign that extension if next season too turns sour. Might be mission impossible.
If we look like **** to start next season, the calls about Lauri will start coming. At which point will DA start picking them up?
