Given what else was out there, this is a disappointing return for Indiana and new president
Kevin Pritchard, even with the Pacers negotiating from a position of weakness. Every team, even George's suitors in Boston and Cleveland, thinks there is at least a 75 percent chance George stays true to his L.A. plans. The Lakers certainly think that. It is unclear if they even engaged the Pacers Friday night. They didn't yield on either
Brandon Ingram or
Lonzo Ball, and if they are sure George is heading their way, they were right not to. The Pacers do not appear to have been interested in
D'Angelo Russell. Time will tell on the L.A. front.
In what is now a time-honored tradition, reports quickly emanated from Boston last night about all the goodies the Celtics had offered: two starters (some combination of
Avery Bradley,
Jae Crowder, and
Marcus Smart) and three draft picks in the most recent round of talks, and a mega-package at the trade deadline, per our Jeff Goodman and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, that included what became the No. 1 pick in the draft. (League sources verified that tidbit to ESPN.com.)
As I reported Friday morning, Boston's most recent offer, whenever it was on the table, did
not include any of the following: next year's Nets pick,
Jayson Tatum,
Jaylen Brown, or the Lakers-Kings pick Boston picked up from Philly in exchange for sliding down two spots in the draft. If the Celtics really offered three picks sometime in the last two weeks -- and I believe they did -- they came from some combination of Boston's own stash and extra protected 2019 first-rounders acquired from Memphis and the Clippers. Boston also offered a combination of three starter-level players and two picks, according to sources familiar with the talks.
All of those picks could end up in the 20s. The Pacers were open about their desire for a top-10 pick, or some equivalent talent. Boston's package would not have met that requirement. Bradley may earn as much as Oladipo in two seasons. Smart's next deal will also kick in then. It is not some killer, irresistible package.
It's still better than what the Pacers got. Picks are liquid trade assets, even if they are projected to land in the 20s. Just a week ago, Portland turned two sub-lottery picks into the No. 10 pick. Indiana might even have taken that Boston deal had it been clearly on the table last night, according to sources familiar with the talks. It may not have been, even if Boston had offered it days before.
