Rondo for Chris Paul in the Offseason

[BASS_THUMPER]

bout blake..he could carry a team..

with a tight point

[raynman]

A Chris Paul deal would definitely involve Ariza or Okafor (or both).. The only possible package we could give with Rondo would be JO ('retiring' contract), Avery, and a first round pick or two.. I think this could work for us.. But as for NOH, tey would be a .500 team with Rondo and their current lineup, especially if David West opts out ..

[vjcsmoke]

I have only 2 concerns about trading for Chris Paul:
1. Does his large salary prevent us from going after Dwight Howard in 2012?
2. Can he stay healthy?

If the answers to those questions are No and Yes, then I go after him with whatever resources we have.  At times it feels like the Celtics are playing 4 on 5 on offense.  Love Rondo's court vision, passing, speed, and quick hands to force the steal.  

But don't love Rondo's lack of range that allows defenders to sag off and double our true scoring threats like Ray and Pierce.  Getting an all around scorer and passer like Chris Paul who also has range up to 3 point land would change that whole dynamic on offense.

So it really depends on where we would be AFTER a Chris Paul trade.  Trading for Chris Paul still won't help us if we aren't able to go after a premiere 5 afterwards.  And obviously if he spends too much time on the DL, that doesn't improve the team either.  Always keep in mind the big picture.  I think Big Baby is another trade asset who we can leverage, but we need to make sure we improve the entire team overall afterwards.

[fairweatherfan]

I'm not one of those who's down on Rondo, but I'd absolutely trade him for Paul if we could make it work.  Paul reminds me of KG, in that he won't be fully appreciated until he gets on a talented team.

Remember that with knee injuries, it takes until the second season back for the player to fully recover.  We've seen this with KG this year, who's much older than CP.  I expect Paul to have a big year next season no matter where he is.

[JBcat]

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow and I would trade Rondo for Paul.   Even next season with the big 3 a year older the scoring load needs to be picked up elsewhere where Paul can do that as well as everything else Rondo does.  I love Rondo but I would do this in a heartbeat. 

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, I'll hold off on my final judgement on such a trade....now if Rondo can pull off another 08-09, 09-10 playoff performance? Especially in a potential matchup with DRose?

Then no thanks, CP3. If Rondo can get back to the incredible player that he's been in the last couple of postseasons, then I'd rather keep him.

[Tai]

I'd probably do it straight up, but unfortunately NO is uninterested.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I would trade Rondo for Paul any day.

[fairweatherfan]

I'd probably do it straight up, but unfortunately NO is uninterested.

Normally yeah, but the Hornets are well aware that Paul is very likely to leave in free agency if they don't trade him.  It's pretty similar to the Melo situation, hopefully minus the drama. 

A trade centered around a talented young player like Rondo would be exactly the sort of offer they'd take a hard look at.

[screwedupmaniac]

I'd probably do it straight up, but unfortunately NO is uninterested.

Normally yeah, but the Hornets are well aware that Paul is very likely to leave in free agency if they don't trade him.  It's pretty similar to the Melo situation, hopefully minus the drama.  

A trade centered around a talented young player like Rondo would be exactly the sort of offer they'd take a hard look at.

What if acquiring Jeff Green wasn't for our future, as much as it was for the attractiveness of future trades and the flexibility of signing and trading his contract to another team?

In light of NO potentially losing Paul for nothing, perhaps something like a package of Rondo, Jeff Green, Glen Davis, and Cleveland's draft pick that we acquired in the midseason trade for CP3 would work. That would be amazing, and would put us in a prime position to sign Dwight Howard in 2012.

Why am I already daydreaming about impossible trade scenarios when it's not even the start of our playoff run yet??

[Who]

I'd probably do it straight up, but unfortunately NO is uninterested.

Normally yeah, but the Hornets are well aware that Paul is very likely to leave in free agency if they don't trade him.  It's pretty similar to the Melo situation, hopefully minus the drama. 

A trade centered around a talented young player like Rondo would be exactly the sort of offer they'd take a hard look at.

What if acquiring Jeff Green wasn't for our future, as much as it was for the attractiveness of future trades and the flexibility of signing and trading his contract to another team?

In light of NO potentially losing Paul for nothing, perhaps something like a package of Rondo, Jeff Green, Glen Davis, and Cleveland's draft pick that we acquired in the midseason trade for CP3 would work. That would be amazing, and would put us in a prime position to sign Dwight Howard in 2012.

Why am I already daydreaming about impossible trade scenarios when it's not even the start of our playoff run yet??

That is a very good point.

A Rajon Rondo + Jeff Green trade package is hugely attractive. A great offer.

Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Paul Pierce. Interesting. Heck of a foundation.

[fairweatherfan]

What if acquiring Jeff Green wasn't for our future, as much as it was for the attractiveness of future trades and the flexibility of signing and trading his contract to another team?

I doubt Green as trade bait was Plan A, but it wouldn't surprise me if we took that into consideration as an option when making the deal. 

[Change]

Lets be honest, Rondo isn't desirable trade bait. He has red flags that will make any team stop in it tracks. One is his inability to develop a jump-shot 5 years into his career.

[JadeBlack]

Lets be honest, Rondo isn't desirable trade bait. He has red flags that will make any team stop in it tracks. One is his inability to develop a jump-shot 5 years into his career.

Second is his inability at free throws.

[BudweiserCeltic]

What if acquiring Jeff Green wasn't for our future, as much as it was for the attractiveness of future trades and the flexibility of signing and trading his contract to another team?

I doubt Green as trade bait was Plan A, but it wouldn't surprise me if we took that into consideration as an option when making the deal. 

Plan A is simply that, having Green provide multiple options from which Ainge can then evaluate where the greatest value with him lies.

The increased probability of a sign and trade occurring was one of the key points I've made about trading for him. If we can't get a multiple year deal that is of low impact to our cap space (I don't know how that is going to work out with the new CBA), Jeff will probably stay here for an additional year or simply traded away. Heck, we might even let him walk if he gets a high enough offer sheet elsewhere, which is fine by me.