Tanking team target: Who is the best option to improve + shred long term salary?

[RodyTur10]

The season has just started, but already it's clear that some teams will not be competitive this season and may be interested during the course of the season to trade good player(s) for assets.

Considering the situation of the Celtics the list of options in the poll are small.

What we assume here is that we are willing to trade Derrick White and Mitchell Robinson (and perhaps add Jordan Walsh), since we believe their performances are and will be subpar for their contracts 3 years running. And we obviously don't want to go into the tax this year and we look here to shred longterm salary. So total contracts of around 40-50 million with max 2 years remaining.

A team with a bad record, but probably don't want to give up their best player(s) yet is Indiana (Siakam). With Washington (Davis) and Phoenix (Booker) the problem is that we would probably end up in the tax (both earning 55M+) making the trade. Orlando (Banchero etc.) and Utah (Markkanen) I have excluded since their long contracts wouldn't help with our longterm payroll.

We would have to give up assets, in some cases a bit more than others, but I wouldn't expect something extravagant. Would you entertain these options, you have 3 votes? Or have you some construction of plater(s) in the same thinking line that I haven't considered? Disclaimer that Robinson and Harper can be traded as of December 15th.

[Goldstar88]

I think any of those options make the Celtics worse. D-White is the starting PG. Losing him would leave a huge void, especially on the defensive side.

[RodyTur10]

I think any of those options make the Celtics worse. D-White is the starting PG. Losing him would leave a huge void, especially on the defensive side.

I think so too. Always loved Derrick White and I was thrilled after Stevens made the trade. He has been awesome, but I do worry about his production.

Not within this exercise, but without White I'd entertain something like Lopez + Dunn for Robinson + Walsh. Short term veterans and adding flexibility.

(Edit: looking at Spotrac I see that Paul George + Mitchell Robinson for Anthony Davis is a popular proposal)

[Vermont Green]

None of those trade make sense to me, from a BOS standpoint.  I predict that White and Robinson are going to be fine.

[Goldstar88]

If Indiana doesn?t think they can keep Andrew Nemhard long term, he is a player I would probably trade White for. Maybe Jalen Suggs as well. He is injury prone, but still young at 24 so there is upside. Suggs actually reminds me of a D-White quite a bit.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I think any of those options make the Celtics worse. D-White is the starting PG. Losing him would leave a huge void, especially on the defensive side.

I agree with this. I don't see any of these trades as an upgrade, either short-term or long-term.

[Roy H.]

Why is our goal to dump salary?  What's the end game, particularly if we're giving up draft assets?

[snively]

The Celtics already dumped salary. I don't think they are looking to dump anymore.

The Magic and the Suns are the teams I'm expecting to try to cut salary before the deadline.

[slamtheking]

I think any of those options make the Celtics worse. D-White is the starting PG. Losing him would leave a huge void, especially on the defensive side.

I agree with this. I don't see any of these trades as an upgrade, either short-term or long-term.

this is where I'm at as well.  I don't see any of those deals as an actual improvement for the C's

[CFAN38]

I think any of those options make the Celtics worse. D-White is the starting PG. Losing him would leave a huge void, especially on the defensive side.

I agree the on and off court void created by moving White would negatively effect this team in the short and long term. 

[trickybilly]

I don't mind the Sabonis idea. He has def quiet quit, with Acuff throwing up slop every night.

Don't love weaker D lineups (Pritchard, Sabonis, Sam), but we could space them out.

[RodyTur10]

The Celtics already dumped salary. I don't think they are looking to dump anymore.

The Magic and the Suns are the teams I'm expecting to try to cut salary before the deadline.

I was thinking that there has to made room for the extensions of Queta, Walsh, Pritchard and later on Scheierman and Gonzalez. But I guess that can work itself out.

To absorb more salary in especially the short term would be a bad idea. Since the Celts are just under the tax.

Interest in Booker for instance I wouldn't deem likely. And about Orlando, they have Banchero, Wagner, Bane, Suggs and Carter as big contracts. I can't see them letting go Banchero or Wagner. Suggs kind of s*cks. Is Bane going to be available? Wendell Carter would be an upgrade for Robinson, how much would that cost us?

I started this topic for a niche market of short term big contracts on "tanking" teams that would like to cash in some small assets while they still can, where the Celts would obtain a reliable veteran or borderline All Star for relatively cheap assets and no longterm burden. I feel dirty now because that would probably mean letting go of White (or George).

I guess it makes more sense to continue discussing an upgrade for Mitchell Robinson? Seems to me like that is an interesting topic of discussion? And perhaps the option of adding Walsh (or other minor contracts) for flexibilty? And in case of a major upgrade even Hauser if salary purposes demand this?

In that case, as mentioned, Wendell Carter Jr., thoughts? Would Orlando be open to let him go? He seems a solid center and trading him wouldn't solve anything for the Magic.

I like Robert Williams (going back to injury risks as a starting center, but the quality is still there), Daniel Gafford (don't see why Dallas would let him go), Nic Claxton (you'd need to include Hauser to not go into the tax), Day'Ron Sharpe (may cost, Brooklyn Nets probably like him a lot), Goga Bitadze (good enough as a starting center is a big gamble), Moussa Diabat? (Hornets do stupid things constantly, so maybe) and Brook Lopez (enough experience, switching on defense is a huge problem though).

It's not evident to find an available starting calibre center for cheap.

[Birdman]

Celtics are 10-2 so don?t need to make a trade. Looks like everyone knows their role on the team & play well together. Now like pick up a buyout player in February to help bench

[RodyTur10]

Celtics are 10-2 so don?t need to make a trade. Looks like everyone knows their role on the team & play well together. Now like pick up a buyout player in February to help bench

While I like the team and I approved the trade of Brown for George (+ assets) and it doesn't surprise me at all that the team has improved from last year, I still see enough shortcomings.

I had hoped we had fixed our vulnerable center position by adding Robinson and another year of development for Queta. However Robinson has been a big disappointment so far. In fact I'd prefer Garza as back-up center right now. He'll at least be productive offensively.

And our abundance of wings hasn't brought that reliable fifth starter either. We're a very deep and talented team, but come playoff time you want 7-8 players that you can fully trust.

Tatum, George, Pritchard, White, Queta, Hauser, Scheierman, Robinson might be a strong rotation. But I'm not sure if it's good enough yet to win a championship. A move to win now I'd support with Tatum and George playing at the level that we hoped they would.

Tatum, George, White and Hauser we know what they're capable of. Might be good for the longterm if they'd miss 20 games together at the same time and see who would step up. Definitely Pritchard, but it would be interesting if this would help Scheierman, Gonz?lez, Walsh or Harper Jr to develop on the offensive end.