I am expecting a lot to happen in the next couple of weeks and wanted to purge some trade, draft, and FA thoughts.
Draft,
I expect the unexpected. After Flagg and Harper I think the next 5 spots could break in many different ways.
Ace Bailey and his weird predraft leaves the door open for a dramatic fall or a surprise trade up. My prediction is the Nets look to move up a couple spots for him.
Kon Knueppel will be the conservative GM pick. A team that is scared to miss on the pick will take him and have a solid rotational piece.
After the top 7 I think this draft goes all over the place.
Out of Queen, CMB, or Essengue someone will go higher than expected and another will drop. All 3 are so unique both good and bad that teams will probably have drastically different rankings.
For the Celtics I suspect #28 is involved in a trade. The predraft workouts that have leaked only include one green room guy Cedric Coward and no other likely 1st round guys. Either BS is keeping things really quiet or #28 becomes a trade down, a trade out, or is attached in a larger deal. If the Cs do stay in I would like to see them draft one of (in this order) Penda, Gonzalez, or Thiero and one of Raynaud, Kalkbrenner, or Wolf. I am also holding onto my Dixon stock as a guy who will go late or undrafted but yield a positive long term return.
Trades,
I have grown to dislike guessing at trades because some of these returns just dont make sense. I have tried to figure out a couple simple ones.
A. Celtics get D Robinson
Heat get Derozan
Kings get Holiday
As a Celtics fan I would hope/expect to get additional assets in the form of picks in this deal but at the very least its a legal trade that saves Boston 12.5 million and brings in a usable rotation player.
B Celtics get a 1st
Name a team with an exception gets Hauser
Hate to see Sam go but the above trade and this deal sheds 22.6 million off the Cs books.
This could be enough trading but I could also see the the following
C Celtics get I Stewart, Fontecchio, future 1st? or couple 2nds?
Detroit gets KP
This deal is a win now move for Detroit who can put KP on a pitch count in the regular season with the hope that he really changes their offense come playoffs. For the Cs they bring in a physical enforcer who fills a need as a young big and a vet who can stretch the court. This brings the Cs total cap savings to 29.2 million.
FA
I don't have much to say here other than I expect Kornet to get a payday somewhere other than Boston. With that I also think AL returns on a team friendly 2 yr deal with second year being a PO.
My wild swing is Bradley Beal... If he gets bought by the Suns I think the Cs should/would approach him to sign for the MLE/DPE. Its not a stretch to think he would have interest in joining the Cs and specifically being on the same team as Tatum. What better way to revive his career than filling in for his injured mentee?
With all that and very limited CBA knowledge I think the Cs could go into next season with a top 8 rotation of. PP, White, Beal, Brown, Stewart, Robinson, AL and Baylor? With the roster rounded out with Queta, Walsh, Fontecchio JD, Tillman, #28 (Penda), #32 (Kalkbrenner)?