Celtics trade rumors - Deadline 2/18, 3 PM
- Thread starter Eddie Jurak
- Start date
If the Knicks can get something valuable for Melo, wouldn't it be in their best interest to? And wouldn't he be interested in being traded to the best team in the East? I'm not entirely sure why Cleveland is trying to get rid of Love in the first place, but it seems like they are.
Gotta love LeBron shooting down the Love trade rumors as false, as if he's the GM. Oh, wait....
I agree. I'm not the biggest Love fan in the world, and I do think Melo has been somewhat unfairly maligned by some of the analytics community, but even then, what is Melo giving them that Love isn't, and that they need? Do they really need a 3rd guy who can get off a good shot with 2 seconds left in the shot clock?
The Cavs' "problem" is that Kyrie isn't 100% yet, and that the Warriors are a historically good team. Moving Kevin Love doesn't fix that.
He may be but there is a high profile egotistical wife involved who is likely calling these relocation shots. Carmelo has already come out and said he's not going to waive his no-trade nor should be to go to Ohio as a 3rd option. He'd be more miserable standing in the weak side corner than Love.
Right. They'd need a third team who values what Cleveland doesn't need. Hence, the Melo rumors. My point wasn't focused on what Cleveland needs, but on what Love is worth, particularly to the Celtics.
I think on paper Love seems like a better fit for Cleveland than Anthony. Love's skillset is so easily transferable to any he is on. He can stretch the floor (something every teams wants out of a big man) he's an excellent passer, probably the best outlet guy in the league, and he is a great rebounder (career average of 12 a game) when he is allowed to be near the basket. He has a lot of skills that can help a team even if he isn't putting up 20 shots a game. Carmelo can space the floor and is a better defender than Love (although he isn't a stopper by any means) and like Bowiac said, he is really only going to be another guy that can make tough shots and play iso ball.
If I'm starting a team from scratch, I'd rather have Melo, but if I'm a good team looking to have someone drop in and put me over the top, I'd rather have Love.
If I'm starting a team from scratch, I'd rather have Melo, but if I'm a good team looking to have someone drop in and put me over the top, I'd rather have Love.
Couldn't agree with this more. This board went through a lot of back and forth pre-KG trade and I'd say the side that advocated collecting assets won the day. There was a lot of sentiment to get Iverson when he became available at one point back then among other vets (all of them in decline). Any time you're giving up valuable assets that you've paid dearly and/or got lucky enough to acquire you have to get be extremely conservative until the right player comes along. Not saying Horford is that player, but he plays D better than Love and you don't win anything without defense. No to Love. Again.
But this Celtics team right now needs offense more than it needs defense. They're 4th in defensive efficiency but only 9th in offensive efficiency. And in close games late, it feels like they get worse than 9th. Their #1 need right now is someone who wants the ball at the end of games and can either score, or get the attention of the defense and get the ball to someone else for an open shot. Kevin Love is very good at those things.
I'm not saying getting Love makes them a championship team. But as long as the price isn't exorbitant, I think he's the best option among all of the reasonable trade options. If the price is exorbitant, there's nothing wrong with standing pat this season, seeing what luck the lottery brings and making moves in the offseason. Maybe a deal with Cleveland is easier to make then rather than now.
A. Sherrod Blakely @SherrodbCSN 2m2 minutes ago
The #Celtics love Justise Winslow. The #Heat more likely to be in the market for bigs w/Bosh's uncertain future. #Celticstalk #LetsMakeADeal
The #Celtics love Justise Winslow. The #Heat more likely to be in the market for bigs w/Bosh's uncertain future. #Celticstalk #LetsMakeADeal
I'd sign up for that right now, which makes me think KO/Sullinger is probably not enough...
Oh, draft picks would definitely need to be included, I was more musing on the practical player end of the deal. Salary wise Miami's all max/min players, so the players that Boston sends need to be low enough priced to fit within Winslow/random min contract guidelines. Boston is going to be sending out picks in any trade because as of now they have too damned many, and Miami actually could use some picks to help fill out the roster.
I'm not the biggest Winslow fan but that is such a better target than Howard who would be a total disaster.
Winslow, Crowder and a Dray Green-ish 5 plus two guards would be a sick small ball team. Of course, the Dray Green-ish part is the hard part.
Winslow, Crowder and a Dray Green-ish 5 plus two guards would be a sick small ball team. Of course, the Dray Green-ish part is the hard part.
The problem with targeting Winslow is that the whole world knows Ainge offered 4 first for him 6 months ago. The baseline's been set, and I don't think Miami's doing anything unless the offer looks like what they could have gotten in June.
I'd still make that deal if Miami would take two of the picks in the form of Hunter and Rozier. Those two, Sullinger, and the Mavs pick for instance.
That's a good point. Miami desperately needs depth more than anything else, given how top heavy that roster is with B level stars and how crappy their vet min guys are, so they might like the two guards on smaller deals to help get them by the nights that Wade's hobbling. But if it's an either/or thing on Sullinger/Olynyk it probably has to be KO. However I will say, contra to GMB, that I think Olynyk's raised his stock enough around the league that he might be worth a couple of the picks that Boston was offering to Charlotte anyway.
Woj says the Bulls are shopping Pau Gasol around. He's expected to decline his player option for next year and become a UFA. I'd be willing to give up KO and a 1st for him even if he's a rental.
I'd prefer to dump Sullinger and keep Olynyk just because I think Olynyk would benefit much more from working with and playing with Gasol. Trade the extra picks instead to go with Sullinger if you need to.
Keep in mind that this deal would also need to include additional salary. If Olynyk is going out the door, we'd need to add either Jerebko, which creates a big roster problem since he is our other stretch 4, Evan Turner, or Zeller/Sullinger plus one of the young guys not currently playing. (You could also add a Lee for Noah swap.)
It's a lot easier to build a deal around Sullinger since you can pair him with just Zeller, or with any of the other guys mentioned. And, Sullinger plus Jerebko doesn't damage our current roster to anywhere near the degree that Olynyk plus Jerebko does.
I'm not sure I trade another cheap year plus a restricted contract for Olynyk for Pau anyway. Sullinger, Jerebko or Zeller, and a late 1st should be more than enough to rent Pau, and if it isn't, it's not worth it anyway.
Isn't offering Sullinger to the Bulls like offering Courtney Lee or Tony Allen to the Celtics?
Why would they want Sullinger?
An offer of Rozier, Zeller, and a first would be what the Bulls would be looking for for Gasol if they would deal with the Celtics.
Why would they want Sullinger?
An offer of Rozier, Zeller, and a first would be what the Bulls would be looking for for Gasol if they would deal with the Celtics.
I would love to hear how an actual trade proposal conversation goes. I don't think it is Danny calling the Bulls GM saying, I'll give you this for this. I assume they lay out their available players and ask what they would like in return and work towards a compromise. It isn't quite fantasy sports.
Exactly, that is what happens when you hammer out what players each side is interested, then you make it work with the cap. If it does then you can move forward or try to.
It is ridiculous to say "they'd prefer a trade that satisfies the salary cap." Each team wants a trade that will improve their situation. And they have to make it work under the cap. What is the saying? Don't put the cart before the horse...
KO is a great fit for the system Hoiberg is trying to implement in Chicago. He would be the center piece going back to Chicago with a 1st rounder and whatever necessary salary.
I'm not a fan of Gasol as a rental since it would take time to really integrate him into the offense and defense. He's a unique player in today's NBA. There's a lot Stevens can do with him and a lot he'd also have to cover for. And for what extra benefit?
Ainge would need to know why the Bulls are so sure he is ready to decline the option. Is it to get out of Chicago or Hoiberg? Or does Gasol have his heart set on playing somewhere specific?
I'm not a fan of Gasol as a rental since it would take time to really integrate him into the offense and defense. He's a unique player in today's NBA. There's a lot Stevens can do with him and a lot he'd also have to cover for. And for what extra benefit?
Ainge would need to know why the Bulls are so sure he is ready to decline the option. Is it to get out of Chicago or Hoiberg? Or does Gasol have his heart set on playing somewhere specific?
One last swing at a big contract from some poor sap team that whiffs on options A through Y. Maybe Brooklyn.
Pau's option pays him $7.8M. The cap is increasing by about $22M next year, i.e., $660M across the NBA. It'll obviously be less, as teams aren't going to all spend to the cap, but even the salary floor is going to spike to around $83M, which is still $13M above the present cap per team ($390M extra). That's just the extra cap room, on top of the regular cap room teams clear up via expiring contracts. There's around $590M of those out there.
There is going to be a ridiculously huge amount of money floating around this free agency period. Pau is opting out because he's a good bet to get $20M/year on a short term deal.
There is going to be a ridiculously huge amount of money floating around this free agency period. Pau is opting out because he's a good bet to get $20M/year on a short term deal.
This is NOT a rumor, but this seems like the most logical thread for posting it. If the Celtics offered OKC Brooklyn's number 1s in 2016 and 2018 plus Crowder (plus whatever filler needed for salary matching) for Durant, would they consider it? Let's Russ be the man and provides him a flow of young talent...
Not only would they not consider it, they'd hang up the phone and laughing would commence.
You get Early Bird Rights with Gasol, so the max offer to retain would be roughly $52m over 4 years. With the cap explosion, that's actually a disadvantage.
Me too. He's not getting us over the Cavs hump (at least not by himself) and don't just splurge for the sake of it.
No. Early Bird Rights only apply if you're over the cap, which Boston isn't (EDIT: for the 2017 season).
What a scoop. If he's available, the Celtics are one of the favorites.
I'm about ready for this to be over.
I hear that they are also one of a large number of teams to be considered that favorites to land Steph Curry if he's available.
