Next year Ray is traded to Utah for

[PaulPierce34G]

So are we going to start seeing potential Paul Pierce trades when his contract becomes an expiring deal?

I get the point of not being sentimental, but Ray is 1/3 of the central component that brought a title back to Boston.  You have to give the man some respect, as he possesses many intangibles off the court. He is the prime example of a true professional & a class act.  The guy isn't going to roll over and take the vet's minimum, but he certainly won't command 20K/year either.  The deal will clearly be short term...2-3 seasons, and the price will go down.  I'm all for re-signing him. 

[hpantazo]

So are we going to start seeing potential Paul Pierce trades when his contract becomes an expiring deal?

I get the point of not being sentimental, but Ray is 1/3 of the central component that brought a title back to Boston.  You have to give the man some respect, as he possesses many intangibles off the court. He is the prime example of a true professional & a class act.  The guy isn't going to roll over and take the vet's minimum, but he certainly won't command 20K/year either.  The deal will clearly be short term...2-3 seasons, and the price will go down.  I'm all for re-signing him. 

well said. I think Ray is enough of a classy and intelligent guy to work out a reasonable deal with Danny and finish his career in Boston. Like you said, he's not going to ask for 20 million a year, and he's not going to accept the vet min either, but I think they can work out something in between that satisfies everyone

[dlpin]

I think Allen will ask for 10 million a year at most, and would then be a very reasonable contract.

[Chief]

I think Allen will ask for 10 million a year at most, and would then be a very reasonable contract.

$10 million? In this economy? For a 34 year old player who can't get open with JJ Reddick guarding him? No thanks!!!

[dlpin]

I think Allen will ask for 10 million a year at most, and would then be a very reasonable contract.

$10 million? In this economy? For a 34 year old player who can't get open with JJ Reddick guarding him? No thanks!!!

hence the "at most..."

[action781]

I think Allen will ask for 10 million a year at most, and would then be a very reasonable contract.

$10 million? In this economy? For a 34 year old player who can't get open with JJ Reddick guarding him? No thanks!!!

hence the "at most..."

Yeah, no way I would want to pay Ray $10M in the last year of his deal when he's 37 (?) years old.  I'd pay no more than 3 years $25M and even that is pushing it.

[Jon]

I don't get why anyone wants to make any changes with our core.  This team won 62 games this year with KG missing roughly 1/3 of the season.  Had he stayed healthy, they would have easily won 70 games and would have had a very good chance of winning it all.  Next year things look even better: Rondo and Perkins have made huge strides, and what was the best starting lineup in the NBA will get that much better. 

If Ainge can find a way to get a decent backup 2/3 and decent backup 5, there's no reason why this team not only can't compete for win the title, but also challenge the '96-97 Bulls for the best regular season record in history. 

[Who]

I don't get why anyone wants to make any changes with our core. 

My interest in considering Ray Allen trades (or other changes) isn't about next season. It's the next 3-4 seasons.

[D Dub]

I don't get why anyone wants to make any changes with our core.  This team won 62 games this year with KG missing roughly 1/3 of the season.  Had he stayed healthy, they would have easily won 70 games and would have had a very good chance of winning it all.  Next year things look even better: Rondo and Perkins have made huge strides, and what was the best starting lineup in the NBA will get that much better. 

If Ainge can find a way to get a decent backup 2/3 and decent backup 5, there's no reason why this team not only can't compete for win the title, but also challenge the '96-97 Bulls for the best regular season record in history. 

TP, that is my view as well.  It will again hinge on KG's health, but that's a chance we have to be willing to take right now.

[celticinorlando]

i love ray allen and dont want him going anywhere

[Jon]

I don't get why anyone wants to make any changes with our core. 

My interest in considering Ray Allen trades (or other changes) isn't about next season. It's the next 3-4 seasons.

But I think we have an excellent chance of winning next year.  The same can't be said of 3-4 years from now, even if we trade Ray for something good.  Pierce and Garnett will be that much older and we really can't account for how much better teams like Cleveland, Orlando, or even Chicago will be.  To take risks on what looks to be a very good shot at a title next year on what most likely is a pipe dream that we can continue this success much past the next couple of years doesn't seem like a good gamble to me. 

[Who]

I don't get why anyone wants to make any changes with our core. 

My interest in considering Ray Allen trades (or other changes) isn't about next season. It's the next 3-4 seasons.

But I think we have an excellent chance of winning next year.  The same can't be said of 3-4 years from now, even if we trade Ray for something good.  Pierce and Garnett will be that much older and we really can't account for how much better teams like Cleveland, Orlando, or even Chicago will be.  To take risks on what looks to be a very good shot at a title next year on what most likely is a pipe dream that we can continue this success much past the next couple of years doesn't seem like a good gamble to me. 

If the team can acquire someone who allows the C's to roughly maintain their chances of winning a title next season, and improves their chances in years two through four ... then that's something worth doing.

Maybe it's not possible. Maybe it is. It's worth examining.

A lot of it depends on how much talent/impact you lose in that first year.

[Fan from VT]

I don't get why anyone wants to make any changes with our core. 

My interest in considering Ray Allen trades (or other changes) isn't about next season. It's the next 3-4 seasons.

exactly. Allen, pierce, and kg are definitely still good, but definitely on his way down. Perk will probably be right about where he is for a while. Rondo could continue to improve. However, as long as all those players are on the celtics, NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A PAYCUT ALLEN TAKES, the C's will have no cap space with which to add an impact player, as well as having no good draft picks with which to do so either. It's all fine and dandy to picture ray playing for 6 million a year until he's 38, but then the Celtics have no way to replace his actual production then.

[Neurotic Guy]

It would be crazy not to consider the potential upside of trading Ray this year and Paul next year.  Note the word 'consider' -- not pull the trigger unless it is a 'godfather offer'.  As large expiring deals, trade value will be at high level for Ray -- and teams strategizing to get under the cap may come up with some surprising offers.  If so, you listen.  Danny's job is to play for the present, but to be cognizent of the future, optimally trying to find a way to win now and win later. If Danny can secure present AND future with the right deal(s) then he should do it. 

I would be more hesitant to trade KG when his deal is expiring -- he is so unique that it would hard to imagine replacing him without completely revamping the team's identity and chemistry.  As valuable as Ray and Paul are, the team's engine sits inside Garnett.

[CoachBo]

I don't get why anyone wants to make any changes with our core.  This team won 62 games this year with KG missing roughly 1/3 of the season.  Had he stayed healthy, they would have easily won 70 games and would have had a very good chance of winning it all.  Next year things look even better: Rondo and Perkins have made huge strides, and what was the best starting lineup in the NBA will get that much better. 

If Ainge can find a way to get a decent backup 2/3 and decent backup 5, there's no reason why this team not only can't compete for win the title, but also challenge the '96-97 Bulls for the best regular season record in history. 

TP, that is my view as well.  It will again hinge on KG's health, but that's a chance we have to be willing to take right now.

+1

It makes no sense to do the Garnett and Allen deals a couple of years ago and then start obsessing about years down the road when we have little or no control over the state of the league.

I would listen to offers for Ray Allen - with the understanding that unless they served to further maximize the club's chances of repeating NEXT YEAR, I would take no action on them. I have no interest whatsoever in moving allen for another group of prospects and suspects to add to the current collection that's already clogging up our bench.