Celtics trade: Rajon Rondo
Kings trade: Ben McLemore, Jimmer Fredette, Carl Landry, 2014 and 2017 first round picks (both unprotected)
Why for the Kings: The trades they made for Rudy Gay and Derrick Williams seem to indicate that the Kings want to start contending for the playoffs (I don't think this is what they should be doing, but it does seem to be the case). Isaiah Thomas is decent, but Rondo is a huge upgrade talent wise and provides the Kings with some championship experience. Rondo is also an alpha dog who has shown that he can go toe to toe with anyone on his best days, and the Kings have no one else who fits that description (unless Cousins matures and keeps developing as a player). Cousins' development may eventually be enough to get them to the playoffs, but in order to make any noise in the West the Kings are going to need another star. Rondo is the only star perimeter player available right now aside from maybe Carmelo (and can you see Melo agreeing to go to Sacramento?), he's still pretty young, and as a guy who's all about basketball he's one of the few stars who might want to stay in Sacramento long term (assuming the team improves). The Kings are also not sacrificing anything of consequence to the current team. Even though they're too far out of the playoff picture to make it this season, a lineup of Rondo/Thornton/Gay/Thompson/Cousins with Thomas as a sixth man would be in the playoff hunt next season.
Why for the Celtics: This trade completes our rebuild. We get a top 10 pick in a loaded draft to pair with our own, a young two guard with All-Star potential in McLemore, a future pick that gives us two picks in each of the four drafts after this one. Landry has a bad contract, but he's a high character guy that won't rock the boat and we won't be needing cap space any time soon anyway. Jimmer can get a brief trial with the C's before his contract expires, at which point we either let him go or sign him as a shooter/fan favorite/potential Jabari buddy off the bench. The trade also has the benefit of making us worse this season (though to be fair it makes the Kings better too).
We're currently sixth worst and the Kings are seventh. Let's be conservative and say that after the trade we end up with the fourth and ninth picks in the draft. We could take Dante Exum fourth and either take Aaron Gordon ninth or package the ninth pick with Brooklyn's pick to move up a few slots and take Julius Randle or Noah Vonleh. A core of Exum, McLemore, Randle/Vonleh, Sully, and Bradley supplemented with our future picks or whatever we get in exchange for them could be a really good team a few years down the line, and that's ignoring the possibility of getting lucky in the lottery and getting one of Wiggins/Parker/Embiid.
Thoughts?
Topic: Boston-Sacramento idea (Read 1540 times)