Daryl Morey's Spinzone About Not Closing James Harden Is Right Out Of The Danny Ainge Playbook
As someone who makes a living having to identify the clear bullshit and 100% spinzone when the GM of his favorite basketball team does not land a superstar that gets traded, you could say I've become a bit of an expert. You won't find a trade that happens in the NBA that at one point didn't mention the Celtics or Danny Ainge being "interested". For example, just look at the James Harden trade
It's like clockwork. The spinzone that follows is pretty simple. Leak that you are in every single trade and even if it doesn't work out you can't be blamed for not pulling the trigger because you were just allowing the team to use you as leverage. Personally, I have no problem if the Celts or any other team are used for leverage by a team that has to make a trade. People hear Danny Ainge is involved and they get nervous and overpay. I don't know why considering he hasn't done much outside of trading for Kyrie Irving in recent seasons, but that's the truth.
Which is why I can't help but LOVE this spinzone from Daryl Morey and the Sixers. Oh, you thought they were seriously interested? Ready to trade Ben Simmons to bring Joel Embiid some actual help in his prime? Ha, you idiots! They were never interested in Harden! Morey just cares so much about the franchise he just up and left that he wanted to be used as leverage so they could get everything and more out of the Nets. I'll remind you, Morey got his start under Ainge in Boston, which is why this is a page right out of the Danny Ainge playbook.
Forget the other reports that tell us the Sixers thought they had a deal to the point where they told the players' agents
It's much easier to tell your fanbase they don't have James Harden right now not because Morey wouldn't trade Tyrese Maxey but because they were never interested in the first place and just wanted to be used as leverage. I know that game. It's not that Ainge didn't land a player because he didn't want to trade Carsen Edwards, it's that he was never interested in the first place. Us Celtics fans have heard it time and time again.
So congratulations to Daryl Morey. Not because he actually came through on landing a superstar to get his team finally out of the second round, but because that's some of the best spinzoning we'll see all season. The Danny Ainge special as some would call it.