How Bad are NBA GMs? Ep. 2 - Boston Celtics

 

 In this series I will be breaking down every impactful transaction in the NBA to better understand the performance of the average NBA GM.  Since the vast majority of decisions made by GMs cannot be proven to be good or bad immediately, we will start in the year 2018.  Weight = how impactful the action is/was for the franchise.  Rating = quantifying the decision in hindsight from 1-10, 10 being excellent and 1 being terrible.

GM - Danny Ainge (2004-2020)

Credit: Getty Images

Expectations were high for this Celtics team.  They were 30-10 at the start of the calendar year, and would go on to push LeBron's Cavs to 7 games in the eastern conference finals.  There were only 5 transactions of note which is curious; the lack of activity may have contributed to Ainge's eventual downfall.

Feb 8 2018 Greg Monroe, C Signed a 1 year $5 million contract with Boston (BOS)

Paid as a mid-level rotational player, slightly exceeded expectations.

Weight: 30%    Rating: 7/10

Jun 21 2018 Robert Williams III, C Drafted by Boston (BOS): Round 1 (#27 overall)

Great pick, looking like he took the best available player (arguments can be made for Devonte Graham, DeAnthony Melton).

Weight: 60%    Rating: 9/10

Jul 6 2018 Aron Baynes, C Signed a 2 year $10.6 million contract with Boston (BOS)

Not too much of a commitment, Baynes was paid as a mid-level rotational player and he vastly exceeded expectations with outstanding defense.

Weight: 50%    Rating: 9/10

Jul 19 2018 Marcus Smart, PG Signed a 4 year $52 million contract with Boston (BOS)

This was an excellent deal in hindsight.  Smart would, over the following 3 years, consistently exceed the expectations of that $13m/year contract

Weight: 80%    Rating: 9/10

Jul 26 2018 Jabari Bird, SG Signed a 2 year $2.9 million contract with Boston (BOS)

Bit of a headscratcher - Bird would end up not seeing the floor for the rest of his career.

Weight: 10%    Rating: 1/10

Conclusions:

Though there were very few transactions at all, Ainge crushed the ones that mattered during in 2018.

Total Impactful Decisions: 5

Weighted Average Transaction Rating: 7/10        Ranked #2 (out of 3)

Big Decision (70%+) Average: 9/10        Ranked #1 (out of 3)