Sporting News: C's targeting Griffin, will make major deal soon

[Fafnir]

I fully believe Danny is still calling about acquiring all-stars. But all these rumors one after another just scream of trying to fill a sports news void.

[Evantime34]

Thoughts on this
1. I'm extremely skeptical of a report that on one hand says a deal is close and on the other indicates we won't give up a Brooklyn pick. I just don't believe we can get a deal done without a least one Brooklyn pick.

2. The idea of Rudy Gay as part of the deal makes me happy. If LAC adds Gay then I think there is a higher chance we can keep Crowder

3. I expect Bradley to be the best player we trade away, maybe I'm reading too much into the fact that he didn't come to the Durant or the Horford meeting.

4. The C's can create around $12.5 MM in cap space by sending Zizic and Yabu overseas, pulling Zeller's QO and waiving John Holland. I think this could play a factor in a deal.

5. People are sleeping on Blake. We haven't had anyone like him in transition in a long time. He's a plus rebounder which we need (his numbers have recently dipped due to playing with DeAndre). Griffin can handle the ball, create for others and is probably better than any player on the C's in the pick and roll since I've been alive. He's underrated on the defensive end becauseh e came into the league as a poor defender.

6. Here is a trade I think makes sense for everyone, I'm not sure which picks we would need to send where though
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=j2m953n

[saltlover]

This works in the trade machine:

C's send: Johnson, Brown, Bradley, Zeller (S&T), Clips 19 pick
C's receive: Griffin, WCS, Pierce

Clips send: Griffin, Pierce
Clip's receive: Gay, Bradley, Zeller, Clips 19 pick

Sac send: Gay, WCS
Sac receive: Johnson, Brown

That's a good return for the Clippers and Boston should be happy as they get their impact star. Sac get a more experienced version of WCS in Amir to play with Cousins and get an excellent prospect in Brown, who I think they had targeted in the draft. You can add in a guard to Sac if needed. Adding Rozier would be a bit much but could be done. Maybe a pick comes back our way in return?

A Zeller s&T can't work in any trade machine because we have no idea what he's signing for.  That said he can be paid no more than $8.08 million in year 1 of your proposal.  But be wary any trade machine that lets you trade Zeller -- it's broken.

[WolfofCausewayStreet]

We trade Smart, Amir, Brooklyn first 18, LAC first. Hopefully nothing more.


I don't want to give up arguably the strongest perimeter defense in the NBA in AB and Crowder for an overrated player like Griffin.

If anything, I'd give up Crowder, because if we trade Bradley we'd basically have the floor spacing of the Bulls. IT, Smart, Crowder. No thanks to that. Brown could still be serviceable as a poor man's Crowder by the end of the offseason, and if we get Pierce back in the deal Brown/Pierce (Pierce/Brown) it may work out.

[walker834]

Thoughts on this
1. I'm extremely skeptical of a report that on one hand says a deal is close and on the other indicates we won't give up a Brooklyn pick. I just don't believe we can get a deal done without a least one Brooklyn pick.

2. The idea of Rudy Gay as part of the deal makes me happy. If LAC adds Gay then I think there is a higher chance we can keep Crowder

3. I expect Bradley to be the best player we trade away, maybe I'm reading too much into the fact that he didn't come to the Durant or the Horford meeting.

4. The C's can create around $12.5 MM in cap space by sending Zizic and Yabu overseas, pulling Zeller's QO and waiving John Holland. I think this could play a factor in a deal.

5. People are sleeping on Blake. We haven't had anyone like him in transition in a long time. He's a plus rebounder which we need (his numbers have recently dipped due to playing with DeAndre). Griffin can handle the ball, create for others and is probably better than any player on the C's in the pick and roll since I've been alive. He's underrated on the defensive end becauseh e came into the league as a poor defender.

6. Here is a trade I think makes sense for everyone, I'm not sure which picks we would need to send where though
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=j2m953n

The issue with that trade is what do we then give up for Westbrook if we are going after him?  I 'd be somewhat happy with Blake and call it a day and keep our best young guys.  We'd still have Crowder and Smart and Brown and Jerebko. We'd be pretty thin at guard behind Isaiah and Smart though. Our roster would be somewhat unbalanced.

[__ramonezy__]

Even though I love the prospect of signing Blake, are the Celtics the same gritty, defensive team if we trade Crowder?

In my opinion both Crowder and IT are untouchable... they are the heart of the team and we have to be careful how we rip out our heart with players that don't bring that same fire.

[RJ87]

Thoughts on this
1. I'm extremely skeptical of a report that on one hand says a deal is close and on the other indicates we won't give up a Brooklyn pick. I just don't believe we can get a deal done without a least one Brooklyn pick.

2. The idea of Rudy Gay as part of the deal makes me happy. If LAC adds Gay then I think there is a higher chance we can keep Crowder

3. I expect Bradley to be the best player we trade away, maybe I'm reading too much into the fact that he didn't come to the Durant or the Horford meeting.

4. The C's can create around $12.5 MM in cap space by sending Zizic and Yabu overseas, pulling Zeller's QO and waiving John Holland. I think this could play a factor in a deal.

5. People are sleeping on Blake. We haven't had anyone like him in transition in a long time. He's a plus rebounder which we need (his numbers have recently dipped due to playing with DeAndre). Griffin can handle the ball, create for others and is probably better than any player on the C's in the pick and roll since I've been alive. He's underrated on the defensive end becauseh e came into the league as a poor defender.

6. Here is a trade I think makes sense for everyone, I'm not sure which picks we would need to send where though
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=j2m953n

TP. Agreed on all parts, especially the bolded.

[walker834]

I fully believe Danny is still calling about acquiring all-stars. But all these rumors one after another just scream of trying to fill a sports news void.

Well the original report from WEEI is that we were in talks for a star and a deal would happen by the end of the week.  It was later noted it was Blake. We should know soon?  TSN is basically reporting the same thing.

Westbrook to me is the next target if we land blake which the rumor was sooner rather than later and by the end of the summer and we are the frontrunners.

It all makes sense on the surface but still no word from the celtics.

[Jiri Welsch]

Deadmik3™ ‏@StonewallSieve  3m3 minutes ago Watertown, MA
Celtics "very close" to a deal for Griffin.

[walker834]

I just hope we come out of this somehow managing to keep smart and brown. Also would like to keep jerebko.  Crowder i'm fine dealing. Same with KO.  Same with our other prospects although i like Bradley and Rozier quite a bit.

I feel like Smart may be the one dealt.  His talents may be better served as a starter somewhere.  Even over Crowder.   

[TheSundanceKid]

This works in the trade machine:

C's send: Johnson, Brown, Bradley, Zeller (S&T), Clips 19 pick
C's receive: Griffin, WCS, Pierce

Clips send: Griffin, Pierce
Clip's receive: Gay, Bradley, Zeller, Clips 19 pick

Sac send: Gay, WCS
Sac receive: Johnson, Brown

That's a good return for the Clippers and Boston should be happy as they get their impact star. Sac get a more experienced version of WCS in Amir to play with Cousins and get an excellent prospect in Brown, who I think they had targeted in the draft. You can add in a guard to Sac if needed. Adding Rozier would be a bit much but could be done. Maybe a pick comes back our way in return?

A Zeller s&T can't work in any trade machine because we have no idea what he's signing for.  That said he can be paid no more than $8.08 million in year 1 of your proposal.  But be wary any trade machine that lets you trade Zeller -- it's broken.

That's true. I was going on the fact that whatever he signed for would count as 50% of outgoing salary in a trade, that's right isn't it? I think he'd sign for that amount. If you look at what some other backup C's are getting it seems reasonable. It would give the Clips a reliable backup to Jordan who can dominate on the PnR with Paul

[SHAQATTACK]

I like Blake better than Westbrooke fit.

Griffin can run with the best of them .

He'd be a great running alongside Brown ......if you can keep Brown in the trade.

Thing is Cavs and Warriors have stacked the deck with stars .......

To challenge them we are going to,need another high scoring star

Griffin fits the bill.   .......I like him better than Love.

[BDeCosta26]

Dan leafshatz must be feeling pretty good about himself on twitter right about now.

[walker834]

Blake and Westbrook are the right targets.  After Durant they are the best we can do.  Boogie is up there but a deal has to be there.   These guys are available.  Better than Hayward next year and losing these guys to the Lakers. 

It's smart to jump ahead of the curve that way.

[Evantime34]

Thoughts on this
1. I'm extremely skeptical of a report that on one hand says a deal is close and on the other indicates we won't give up a Brooklyn pick. I just don't believe we can get a deal done without a least one Brooklyn pick.

2. The idea of Rudy Gay as part of the deal makes me happy. If LAC adds Gay then I think there is a higher chance we can keep Crowder

3. I expect Bradley to be the best player we trade away, maybe I'm reading too much into the fact that he didn't come to the Durant or the Horford meeting.

4. The C's can create around $12.5 MM in cap space by sending Zizic and Yabu overseas, pulling Zeller's QO and waiving John Holland. I think this could play a factor in a deal.

5. People are sleeping on Blake. We haven't had anyone like him in transition in a long time. He's a plus rebounder which we need (his numbers have recently dipped due to playing with DeAndre). Griffin can handle the ball, create for others and is probably better than any player on the C's in the pick and roll since I've been alive. He's underrated on the defensive end becauseh e came into the league as a poor defender.

6. Here is a trade I think makes sense for everyone, I'm not sure which picks we would need to send where though
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=j2m953n

The issue with that trade is what do we then give up for Westbrook if we are going after him?  I 'd be somewhat happy with Blake and call it a day and keep our best young guys.  We'd still have Crowder and Smart and Brown and Jerebko. We'd be pretty thin at guard behind Isaiah and Smart though. Our roster would be somewhat unbalanced.

I'd expect either a Westbrook or a Blake deal, to bring in both seems unlikely.

Completely agree that we would be thin at guard after, the hope would be that we could sign someone to play back up guard minutes or trade for a guy like Tyreke Evans.