Kevin Pritchard patiently waiting as teams make offers for Paul George

According to the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy, the Boston Celtics think Kevin Pritchard’s demands are too high in a proposed Paul George trade.

Will Kevin Pritchard’s patience pay off? Or will the Indiana Pacers end up settling on a less than favorable package when they trade away Paul George?

According to the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy, yesterday the Boston Celtics were waiting to hear back from Pritchard, but the price he demanded was too high for Danny Ainge and the Celtics.

If Murphy’s source is right, the Pacers are hoping for two 2018 first round picks and a starting player from the Celtics in exchange for Paul George. That is a high price, but there is little incentive for the Pacers to lower their demands right now.

Pritchard is planning on winning the waiting game and seeing his patience pay off.

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly offered two late first-round picks and a player before the draft, but Pritchard didn’t bite. Patience is a virtue, but it isn’t easy to watch someone else exercise it. For what it is worth, the players the Lakers took with are fine, but nothing exciting or worth giving up Paul George for.

The idea of getting draft picks energizes the fan base, but it is easy to forget that you actually have to use them. They aren’t always a form of hope — they eventually must become reality.

The idea of getting draft picks energizes the fan base, but it is easy to forget that you actually have to use them. They aren’t always a form of hope — they eventually must become reality.

Dealing with the Celtics isn’t easy as Ainge either overvalues his assets or is simply more patient than any other GM in the NBA. My theory is he is simply a hoarder.

Another theory from our own Dylan Hughes is that Ainge feels the need to win every trade. Whether it is Brooklyn Nets deal or any of his other big trades, Ainge needs to come out as the immediate winner or he won’t pull the trigger. There is almost always a “Danny Ainge ALMOST made a trade” story after every deadline as even in non-trades, Ainge needs to look like a mad genius creating a monster trade in his lab.

This sort of patience or whatever else you want to call it from Pritchard and Ainge can be maddening, and much more so in Pritchard’s case. If he doesn’t pull off a deal that at least matches the rumored Lakers offer (two late picks + young player), then his stint running the Pacers starts off on the wrong foot.

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But that same patience might have created leverage for Pritchard and Indiana.

Instead of settling on a few young players that may end up having little impact on Indiana’s future, the Lakers now must look at giving Indiana a better offer and one that could include higher draft picks. The Lakers know Paul George to Los Angeles isn’t a guarantee and may need to make a move soon to save face before PG goes somewhere else.

In the case of the Celtics, Ainge may not give up two first round picks, but if Pritchard gets the Nets pick (which likely stays in the lottery), then the wait is worth it.

Like the hope those draft picks can create, the hope of Pritchard pulling off the right trade for Paul George must eventually become a reality. Soon we will see if his patience was worth it or if it merely delayed an inevitable disappointment.

Next: 5 free agent wings the Pacers should avoid

The clock is ticking on Kevin Pritchard and the Indiana Pacers, but we won’t know when the countdown is over until Paul George is in another team’s jersey.