Danny Ainge deserves the benefit of the doubt based on the totality of the moves he's made in his career, but unfortunately for him this is the type of move that gets a GM fired if it backfires.
Yeah, "You are fired because one of the 3 top picks you stole from the Nets with your genius trade didn't work out!"
Here is
a positive take on the trade from CBS sports:
"Without once compromising a very good, financially stable roster, Boston, in addition to the No. 3 pick this year, has six combined first-round picks in 2018 and 2019. Think about this: The Celtics very easily could end up with a pair of top-five picks next year if that Lakers pick falls right, because remember, they still have the Brooklyn Nets' first-rounder from that 2013 heist. By adding the extra pick in this deal with Philly, the Celtics are in position to offer, say, the Chicago Bulls a potential top-five in next year's draft, in addition to
Jae Crowder and
Avery Bradley, for
Jimmy Butler...
A free agent his summer, how can Hayward look at what this Boston team is putting together and not be seriously tempted the leave the Jazz? It is not at all unreasonable for the Celtics to be running out a starting lineup next season of Isaiah Thomas, Jimmy Butler, Gordon Hayward, Josh Jackson and
Al Horford. All of this with six first-round picks, including a potential top-five pick, over the next two years still in the bag. That is no joke."
So if they trade with the Bulls as suggested above, this could turn into Fultz, Crowder, and Bradley for Jimmy Butler and a guy Ainge likes just as much as Fultz.
They might not be doing the Bulls trade. I would rather they try to get Porzingis in a trade instead, as he is only 21, still cheap, and would solve most of the current team's problems right away. They should have the pieces to go after him if the Knicks would move him.
There are a lot of ways this can still go, and Ainge should be trusted to make good moves.