I'm a bit worn down from all the pre-deadline trade smack, but this is one of the biggies this offseason.
Q: Will Perk want to avoid going into a contract year (with the pressure to stay healthy and perform coupled with the trade talk) and seek an extension for money that allows flexibility for the team and security for himself? We'll see. If he really loves Boston, he can sign for MLE-level money, plus a trade bonus/kicker or some other restriction or incentive...perhaps a title bonus like Ray has or something.
If not, he gets traded. That simple. It would be foolish to limit the team's flexibility to keep a player that is best as a 4th or 5th option. A great defensive team that can only score 70 points is going to the lottery, and that's what we'd have building around Rondo and Perk.
In this busy offseason, Danny may have to come to:
1) come to terms with 3 starters: Ray Allen, PP if/when he opts out, and Perk
2) contracts for (hopefully) 2 of the 3 key reserves, Nate and Quisy,
3) and then fill out the rest of the non-rotation team, like TA, Shelden, and whomever else
4) Find out what can be added w/the MLE,
5) while tending to drafting 2 rookies, and (hopefully) using summer league and training camp to audition young talent for the rest of the roster spots.
There was a "Perkins" thread a week or two ago. I suggested this would be the time to trade him, and got a strong response, largely that Perk is pretty much irreplacable, can't be upgraded reasonably, loves the C's, best defensive center around, building block with Rondo, etc. And it's true that he may be worth $10 million, and a title-caliber center, but the rest of the team needs to be title-worthy, too. It won't happen if Perk gets too big a portion of the pie. This summer, if he doesn't come to a friendly extension quickly, trading him will be on Danny's list.
