This was my thinking at the time:
Players on the payroll:
KG - $18.86 million
Perk - $4.89 million
Celtics renounce Allen, Allen, Scal, Walker, Giddens
Rondo is not renounced and his cap hold is $3.01 million
Pierce opts out and resigns at $10 million. That gives us 5 players on the roster and a payroll at $36.76 million. If the cap was at $53 million that's a little over $16 million to offer and then my thought was sign Wade, then once Wade is in tow extend Rondo and Perk, sign someone for the LLE.
What I forgot was Sheed's $6.3 million that he just signed and that the Celtics will have holds for this year's first round pick and next year's pick, and the holds for any other one year signings of this year and the contracts of any multi year contracts that get signed this year.
Hey it was early and I hadn't had my caffeine yet.
So realistically, Pierce's pay cut gets us just over an MLE exemption. Which probably means the C's offer both Ray and Paul slight cuts in pay while giving both 2-3 year deals, they extend Rondo and Perk and add another MLE guy or two guys for the MLE while dumping a bunch of players from among Tony Allen, Eddie House, Brian Scalabine, Gabe pruitt, Bill Walker, J R Giddens and Lester Hudson while adding a first round pick.