Phoenix traded Isaiah Thomas to Celtics for Thornton and a 2016 1st round (cle)

[bostonsportsforlife]

I know lots of people here may not like it, but Danny got just what he wanted. He used two of the three assets from the Paul Pierce exception and turned it into a player he desired on a seemingly nice contract.

[PhoSita]

We needed size and athleticism up front but instead of a big steak

Danny ordered SHRIMP!!!

Thunder stole Kanter, why do we need a dwarf? is this World of Warcraft?

Isaiah Thomas is a far more valuable (and as of this summer, probably much cheaper) player than Enes Kanter.

[apc]

You think IT would consider changing his name?

[LakersFan_33]

Nice pick-up by you guys. I see him more because I'm on the west coast, and Isaiah Thomas is a really good player.

[piercetruth34]

We needed size and athleticism up front but instead of a big steak

Danny ordered SHRIMP!!!

Thunder stole Kanter, why do we need a dwarf? is this World of Warcraft?

Isaiah Thomas is a far more valuable (and as of this summer, probably much cheaper) player than Enes Kanter.

I think having Smart and Thomas at pg is a much better situation than Zeller and Kanter at center.   We can go out and get a better center than that.  Kanter would have been nice though. But i'm still holding out for better.  DA is smart though.  He didn't buy all in on a guy like Dragic either.  We have Marcus.  We needed a scorer from that spot.  It's about filling positions with what we think might work longterm.  I dont think Zeller and Kanter is the answer.  We can do better than that.  Smart and Thomas might be.  I like that Ainge looks for the right deals that way and doesn't settle.

Kanter is more physical than Zeller but neither guy is a rim protector really.  Thomas and Smart can do some things.

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

Love Isaiah Thomas, but wouldn't have given up a #1 pick for him. Would've given Philly's 2 high 2nd's, but I think a #1 (albeit a likely 20s pick) is a bit too much.

The chances of Thomas being better than anyone selected that late in the draft are definitely in the C's favor. His talent on that contract makes it worth it.

And, if you want to play cap games, the odds of finding a player with those first 2'nds isn't that far below where that Cavs 1st will likely end up AND if you succeed those 2nd round contracts are way better with regards to the cap. So, in today's NBA a super high 2nd is in many ways more valuable than a very late 1st.

[nickagneta]

Was saying all along that if Thomas was coming here that meant win now mode and that Bass was going to stay. Makes no sense to trade for Thomas but seriously hurt the front court and the vet presence that is Bass in the process

[Donoghus]

Given Thomas' contract, skill set, & the price the Celtics paid, I have a hard time seeing the downfalls of this trade. 

Well done, Danny.   You did nothing to harm the long term forecast with this trade.  The assets & financial flexibility are still very much there.

[dreamgreen]

We needed size and athleticism up front but instead of a big steak

Danny ordered SHRIMP!!!

Thunder stole Kanter, why do we need a dwarf? is this World of Warcraft?

Glad youre not our GM, this team needs a real point guard, Marcus Smart, Evan Turner, Avery Bradley are not real point guards.
Now that we have a real point guard we have actual ball handling and play making.
Plus Thomas is good friends with Cousins, maybe that could be also a way of luring Boogie next year.

Right back at you!

Smart does have PG skills he sees the floor well actually, he's a rookie give him a chance!

And please forget about "Boogie" (horrible nick name) he aint comin here, unicorns sound great but lets deal with real life.

[piercetruth34]

Was saying all along that if Thomas was coming here that meant win now mode and that Bass was going to stay. Makes no sense to trade for Thomas but seriously hurt the front court and the vet presence that is Bass in the process

If anything this brings us one step closer to contention.  We could make the playoffs this year and are only a few pieces away.  We need rim protection and a scorer to step to the forefront. But more about development getting better defensively.   This team is starting to come together though.

[Mean Gerald Green]

Great move. Upside player entering his prime years on a reasonable deal (which actually gets better each year.) Didn't give up much value wise, so definitely worth the price. No downside.

[LHR]

Mentioned this to Kyle Draper on Twitter - Danny doesn't have to put a Thanksgiving meal on the table just yet. In a position where he can window shop. Went to the butcher, saw a lambchop on sale for a nickel and pounced.

Just a great, great trade.

How good is that KG+Pierce trade looking now? Mentioned this last year, but it's only looking that much more.  It's Danny's Herschel Walker trade.  New tally:

Zeller
2 firsts
James Young
Isaiah Thomas
Small trade exception for Humphries
...Gerald Wallace

I mean that's just incredible.

Got Sean Deveney from Sporting News on Celtics Beat this Sunday.  Can't wait to talk about it.

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

We needed size and athleticism up front but instead of a big steak

Danny ordered SHRIMP!!!

Thunder stole Kanter, why do we need a dwarf? is this World of Warcraft?

Isaiah Thomas is a far more valuable (and as of this summer, probably much cheaper) player than Enes Kanter.

I think having Smart and Thomas at pg is a much better situation than Zeller and Kanter at center.   We can go out and get a better center than that.  Kanter would have been nice though. But i'm still holding out for better.  DA is smart though.  He didn't buy all in on a guy like Dragic either.  We have Marcus.  We needed a scorer from that spot.  It's about filling positions with what we think might work longterm.  I dont think Zeller and Kanter is the answer.  We can do better than that.  Smart and Thomas might be.  I like that Ainge looks for the right deals that way and doesn't settle.

Kanter is more physical than Zeller but neither guy is a rim protector really.  Thomas and Smart can do some things.

Yeah, Kanter solves no issues for this team. If you want size up front that means  you also want it to have an effect on the defensive end, which he decidedly does not. So it would be a pretty pointless move for this team at this moment. Couple that with Thomas' very friendly contract and this is was a far better move for the future.

Rim-protector's are crazy valued these days. There weren't any to be had. So to add another offensive-minded frontcourt guy would be shortsighted.

[myselfonline]

What's with Danny's fascination with undersized guards? This year we have traded for (and subsequently traded away or waived):
John Lucas III
Will Bynum
Jameer Nelson
Nate Robinson
Isaiah Thomas

These are all players 6' and under. 

And there was also Austin Rivers, who is a bit undersized for a SG.

[Nerf DPOY]

It's going to be days on weeks before I can mentally sort out all of the different deals that took place and where everyone in the league is now. It's like the MBTA situation inside my mind.

I like the IT deal. We can still get a max FA this summer or two the summer after even with adding his money.