We need to go all in to win it...now. Here are my moves if I'm Danny.
1. Offer Portland Gaffney, Lafayette and the two first round picks for Fernandez and a second round pick. That's a good deal for Portland and for us. If Portland doesn't doesn't take it, sign Delonte asap and be done with it. Don't give up Bradley in this deal.
2. Trade Rasheed's contract, along with Big Baby to new Orleans for Imeka Okafor ( works salary wise ). Perkins, KG and Imeka Okafor on the glass and defensively? Sick.
3. Try to sign one more small forward behind Pierce ( Joey Graham, Jarvis Hayes or Ime Udoka )
4. Try to get Nesterovic or Brezec as your 3rd string center if you don't want Shaq or you don't like Erden.
Okafor's contract is long but you could do worse than Okafor, Perkins, Rudy and Rondo moving forward from the Boston 3 party. The next two years we'd have by far the best interior defense and rebounding in the league...that wins championships.
Okafor / Perkins / Shaq, Nesterovic, Brezec or Erden
KG / O'Neal / (Okafor / Harangody)
Pierce / Daniels / Graham or Hayes
Ray / Rudy or Delonte / Matt Janning ( like this kid )
Rondo / Nate / Bradley
Have a full team going into training camp for once in the Boston 3 party era.
1. We lose Baby but Okafor is a major improvement on the boards and defensively at the center and PF spots.
2. Okafor's contract is big but he's not a bad piece moving forward with Perkins, Rondo and Rudy. Perk and Okafor would be nasty defensively and on the glass. Okafor's contract would expire with Pierce's...
3. Let Portland use Pryzbilla's expiring contract in their own trade deadline move. We already have Perk down, we don't need another big man with one knee.
4. Portland has a discontented player in Rudy who they will lose in another year if they don't get something for him. If the two draft picks are lottery protected, I could care less about them and Danny does well with second rounders anyway.
5. New Orleans would love to clear that contract of Okafor's.
6. The defense of KG, Perkins and Okafor as your main rotation up front? That is tough, tough. And Okafor gives us a big shot in the arm on the glass.