No, not exactly James-Bosh-Wade, but Durant-Derozan-Horford-Thomas is better than the heat 3 + Chalmers.
Celtics as a FA destination (broken from trade rumors)
- Thread starter Jed Zeppelin
- Start date
I have no idea who's on Durant's list of "must-gets" for Ainge, but I doubt Jahlil Okafor is on it.
FA's like to see stability within an organization. Don't think these extensions for Brad and Danny are a coincidence. This is part of the recruiting process not just for KD but for all FAs.
There's really only one possible advantage Boston has. If there's some other player out there with whom Durant really wants to play, but that player's team isn't especially interested in moving him, Boston has the ability to make an offer so ridiculous that they can't possibly say no. For example, say he really, really wants to play with Cousins, but obviously doesn't want to go to Sacramento. And say Sacramento doesn't want to trade Cousins. The Celtics can throw multiple Brooklyn picks, multiple firsts this year, and some seconds, and Marcus Smart. At some point it becomes enough of an overpay that Sacramento can't possibly say no. The Celtics are the only team that can really put together a package that good without gutting the current team or completely selling out the future.
This depends upon there being one guy who would 100% convince Durant to come. I don't know if there is such a guy. But if there is, the Celtics can get him.
This depends upon there being one guy who would 100% convince Durant to come. I don't know if there is such a guy. But if there is, the Celtics can get him.
That's a really good point. I'm skeptical Durant would pull a "get this guy or I'm out" scheme on teams, but you're really at that point trading assets for a star + Durant at a max deal. Whatever it takes, you need to make that happen outside of gutting both the roster and the picks.
Plus, the Nets Pick in 2017 has tremendous value. Assuming the pick stays in the top 5, the Celtics would be in prime position to draft an impact player in a draft many are calling very deep with high level talent.
This may be true, but I assume your scenario has the Celtics discussing what they would do to get Cousins (i.e. trade a boat load of prospects, picks, smart, whatever) with Durant as they are signing him to a contract. In other words, the Celtics can agree to make this effort, but only in the event that Durant signs. If they make the effort on the assumption that Durant will sign, and he pulls a DeAndre Jordan, then the Celtics would be all kinds of fucked.
That seems like an overstatement. They would be better than they were last year when they were tied for the third best record in the east, they'd have a ton of cap space, and they'd have another star player on the team to help recruit. And that's in a worst case scenario where you trade all 3 Brooklyn picks and Marcus Smart. If you keep any of those pieces you still have something to deal with.
I'm thinking if I'm Danny I'd offer Cleveland Bradley and Crowder for Love after the season. It's crazy you could even consider offering this, but Love's stock is at an all time low and the Cavs could really use players like Bradley and Crowder. Draft picks won't get Love - so you have to offer players.
No thanks. Bradley and Crowder are both starters on team-friendly deals who are about to enter their primes and Love appears to be on the downside. If the Cavs aren't good enough with Love when they have LeBron James, the Celtics certainly wouldn't be nor would I be confident that they could put together a team that would be.
No. Crowder can defend four positions and is a competent offensive player that can bury threes in a supporting role. No way I give that up to open a world of defensive problems with Love.
If I'm the clippers there's no way I trade Paul for Irving. He's better in all phases, and although he's older, I think he still has 4 or 5 good years ahead.
It would have to involve a hard push from Paul, who is only under contract for two more seasons with LA.
Obviously Love has under-performed in Cleveland, but I do honestly believe that this is a square peg in a round hole situation. I don't think Love forgot how to score and rebound, and I think he and Thomas would be terrific in the pick and roll. I love Bradley and Crowder, but I think they are replaceable parts - and I would always give up replaceable parts for an All-Star. Love's defense is terrible, but Stevens scheme made Olynk and Sullinger adequate defenders. I truly believe that if Love plays here - he will instantly become a 20 and 12 guy and would be productive on a nightly basis.
Bradley and Crowder may be role players but in a vacuum it seems glaringly obvious to me that subtracting them and adding Love makes the 2016-17 Celtics worse than the 2015-16 edition. You also dramatically increase the already-pressing need for an elite defensive interior presence while opening a new need for a versatile 3-and-D wing. All for a guy whose physical issues could very well limit him from achieving the previous offensive heights for which you're acquiring him in the first place.
This. If a team with LeBron James can't cover for Love, I'm doubtful we'd ever be able to construct a team that contends with him on it. Love can still be a useful piece but he's not the impact player he was 3 years ago. And I don't think he'll age well at all.
I want no part of Love. He is the epitome of a losing, selfish player. Imagine if him and Rondo were on the same team? What a combo that would have been.
Unless I missed something in game 2 before he got his bell rung, he tried to go inside a few times and Bogut, Green and Iggy smothered him completely pretty much, if not, every time. He has very little force to get anything done down low against championship defenders
I get that people are way down on Love, but don't forget he's on a team where his skills are tremendously wasted.
A guy who serves as offensive gravity well near the elbow, can get to the basket, gets offensive rebounds, pulls less athletic PFs to the 3 pt line, and doesn't suck at making a pass. In a Stevens defensive scheme that can neutralize even Kelly Olynyk's liabilities, Love will probably be able to manage.
IOW, buy low.
EDIT: Yes, he's lost against the most elite of defenders like Iggy, but that doesn't mean he isn't better than 90% of the league.
A guy who serves as offensive gravity well near the elbow, can get to the basket, gets offensive rebounds, pulls less athletic PFs to the 3 pt line, and doesn't suck at making a pass. In a Stevens defensive scheme that can neutralize even Kelly Olynyk's liabilities, Love will probably be able to manage.
IOW, buy low.
EDIT: Yes, he's lost against the most elite of defenders like Iggy, but that doesn't mean he isn't better than 90% of the league.
How low is low enough? I mean, would you trade Smart for him then draft Dunn or something? Because it doesn't make sense to me to trade guys who you'd need to cover Love's weaknesses.
Well, CLE may need to shed salary and lacks draft picks. How does Rozier + Johnson + 23 sound?
EDIT: I haven't checked cap stuff.
Buying low is even more difficult when he's still being paid what he is. I'm not sure how you even match salaries with just Crowder and Bradley, because both of them are pretty underpaid in today's NBA for what they do.
I'm wondering what Danny's 'low ball offer' was at the trade deadline, because I'm thinking that's probably the same offer you could make again. Well, except no David Lee to salary-cap match with.
I'm wondering what Danny's 'low ball offer' was at the trade deadline, because I'm thinking that's probably the same offer you could make again. Well, except no David Lee to salary-cap match with.
Checked the cap tables. Cs have cap space, so it's fine, Cavs don't, so it's relief. Still not sure what a realistic trade is, but Love would instantly be the best player on the team.
There's also a reason his skills are being wasted, though. You need to build your team around him. He did not play help defense in Minnesota, and you need to run the offense through him to get the most of out him.
For the Celtics that would mean rebuilding almost the entire team. We would need a great rim protector next to him at center, a small forward who can both spread the floor for him and defend both PF's (because Love often won't) and SF's, and then dump Isaiah Thomas for a point guard who would defer to Love offensively.
There's not much reason to think Love is worth the aggravation. He is at his best when he is putting up a great stats on a garbage team.
I think this is an overstatement on Love's need to be in the center of the offense, but I get where you're coming from. The Cavs are killing him, though.
It's funny because this is the exact conversation that we had two seasons ago when the C's may have had a chance at him. Since then he has:
- continued to have nagging injury issues
- continued be a massive liability that cannot be hidden on defense
- signed a big contract
- aged two years (duh)
Don't chase past performance. Don't be Theo Epstein circa December 2010.
Yeah, I think Ainge has cooled off on Love now because the current team he's assembled isn't going to complement Love well. The current team -would- complement Durant, I think, if Smart could develop further into someone who could shoot, and we could find a good big man who could protect the rim that's actually likely to come, and is young enough to be a decent complementary player.
I'm trying to figure if these guys are actually decent enough to protect the rim:
Festus Ezeli, age 26 actually has a decent chance of leaving, depending on what Golden States does with Harrison Barnes.
Boban Marjanovic, age 27, Played well in spurts, but does he really hold up well if he had more minutes?
I'm trying to figure if these guys are actually decent enough to protect the rim:
Festus Ezeli, age 26 actually has a decent chance of leaving, depending on what Golden States does with Harrison Barnes.
Boban Marjanovic, age 27, Played well in spurts, but does he really hold up well if he had more minutes?
Cleveland's motivation to deal Love is, what? Free up money to buy a better fit, right? Whose the better fit? Horford?? Part of the equation has to be whether we'd be better off just going after that "better fit" ourselves (which is why it can be hard to construct a three-team deal with the Cavs using resources we give them for Love). But if we assume there's a player out there that Cleveland can get and we can't, that would make Love expendable for a relatively low return to the Cavs, then yes, I'd be on board with the buy low option. Love still has skills that Stevens can put to good use. But "buy low" does not include Crowder + Smart/Bradley. That's a sideways move with significant downside.
Point of information: LeBron is not a good coach. Judging a poorly-utilized Love without at least acknowledging this undervalues his impact. Love hasn't really been in a very good defensive scheme.
Adrian Beltre was a pretty good signing.
EDIT: Oh, December 2010. n/m.
Addition by subtraction, free up money for flexibility? Don't forget LeBron also is a non-Bird, so every penny counts.
Danny Ainge reportedly met with the agent for Harrison Barnes and Kevin Love in NYC this week. Hope to God neither of these players appears in a Celtic uniform.
http://nesn.com/2016/06/nba-rumors-celtics-danny-ainge-met-with-kevin-loves-harrison-barnes-agent/
http://nesn.com/2016/06/nba-rumors-celtics-danny-ainge-met-with-kevin-loves-harrison-barnes-agent/
I keep coming up with CP3 and Griffin for Irving and Love and I can't figure out which side says no to that. Bron gets to play with his buddy CP3 and he gets a more athletic PF to throw lobs to. Clips get a younger dynamic PG and get a great fit in the front court with Jordan in Love. Clips also get 2 more years of control in the deal. I'm sure LeBron would like to keep playing with Kyrie, but I think CP3 is one guy he'd be willing to replace him with. And I think LeBron is done with Love. Replacing him with Blake? Yeah, I can see him being okay with that.
Clips are sayin no. I don't think they would trade CP3 for Kyrie straight up but maybe I'm wrong about that.
They might do that part, it's the other half of the equation that rates a "No way, José".
So, 538 predicts that the Celtics will sign:
And...
To replace the soon to be departed:
Festus Ezeli
And...
Zaza Pachulia
To replace the soon to be departed:
Sully and Amir
538 also underestimated Trump. Maybe they are underestimating KD to Boston... We can only hope.
And how do they have Batum and Barnea both in Charlotte. Not exactly the same player, but that's a lot of money in those two players.
And Rondo in Brooklyn. I don't like to root against him, so I hope Lin signs in Brooklyn instead.
And how do they have Batum and Barnea both in Charlotte. Not exactly the same player, but that's a lot of money in those two players.
And Rondo in Brooklyn. I don't like to root against him, so I hope Lin signs in Brooklyn instead.
Boban would be a fantastic get!! I wonder if he'll accept a deal similar to Amir last year like say 2/$24m with the second year being a team option? It's nice to have the ability to move an expiring contract at the deadline or in the summer to create flexibility.
Can someone more knowledgeable tell me what happens if they miss out on this years bounty...KD, Butler, Cousins, etc...
What's up next year? KD signing a one year extension with OKC and revisit it next year with a trade for this years targets? Haywood?
What's up next year? KD signing a one year extension with OKC and revisit it next year with a trade for this years targets? Haywood?
So LeBron can opt out of his contract and (however unrealistic) sign with Boston, along with KD? Boston can handle both?
Because that would be pretty cool.
Because that would be pretty cool.