If Cs trade PP, the most obvious fit: The Clippers

[ssspence]

If the Cs do decide to punt this year, Pierce's most logical destination would be the Clippers, for two reasons:

1) Value: I think a trade centered around DeAndre Jordan and Pierce make a lot of sense for both sides. Jordan's skill set is still developing, and would be a terrific fit with Rondo, while a core of Paul, Pierce and Griffin immediately become the WC's favorite this year. BOS gets a good young player, and an extra $5mil in cap space next summer. Meanwhile, with only 2 years left on CP3's deal, at the very least it would be highly tempting for LA;

2) Respect: The Cs could genuinely justify sending Pierce to LA. He's a hometown guy going to arguably the strongest opportunity in the league right now for his skills. From a PR and future management perspective, this would be highly valuable to the Cs in a league driven more and more by free agency.

So, a trade of something like:

LAC trades: Jordan, Foye (expiring), Fortson
BOS trades: Pierce, Pavlovic (assuming he waives his Bird rights), either Bradley or Moore

...could be a fit.

[Gemini]

LAC wouldnt Have a center, Maybe PP and JO for Jordan and Mo williams.

[Gemini]

Or Jordan and Billups

[ssspence]

I don't think the trade works any other way. one question: how quickly can a recently signed RFA be traded? can't find it in Larry's CBA FAQ.

[PosImpos]

I don't like that trade for the Clippers.  Even with Pierce, if they don't have a decent center next to Griffin they are going to have a tough time competing with teams like the Lakers and Mavs in a 7 game series.

It makes much more sense for young teams like the Clippers, as good as they are now, to stick with their young core and build around it instead of making win-now trades that sacrifice their future competitiveness.

It's not as though Caron Butler is that much worse than Paul Pierce at this point, anyway, particularly as a 3rd option on offense.

[saltlover]

The Clippers aren't trading Jordan until they've signed Blake Griffin to a long-term deal.  Perk:Rondo :: Jordan:Griffin

[wdleehi]

The trade fit isn't really there.


They will not want to give away their only C

[ssspence]

I don't think the trade works any other way. one question: how quickly can a recently signed RFA be traded? can't find it in Larry's CBA FAQ.

Can anyone point me to this knowledge? Thanks.

[wiley]

I agree that the Clippers are a team that makes sense.  There's always a way to make it work.  People shouldn't think we'll be getting all that much back for our big 3, but should also not underestimate picks, wherever they are in the first round if your're talking 2012.  But another Western team with contending status is also possible, like Dallas.  

The Clippers also make sense as a place that Ray and KG could sign onto for cheap (warm weather, reunion with Paul in Paul's hood, a chance for another ring, an excellent chance at that:  Paul, Ray, Pierce, Griffin, KG, etc..)

However, we're not getting Jordan for Pierce without giving up one of our picks, which makes it not worth it imo.  Unless they give us back a future first...then I'd go ahead with a deal like that, despite the decrease in pick quality.

I agree that the Clippers would be centerless, which wouldn't make sense for them, so a third team would probably need to be added to make a Clippers deal work.  If done cleverly, maybe we don't have to give up a 2012 first.

No ideas that trade Pierce to another team in the East make any sense to me at all to me, though I happily read them in a fantasy sense.

[ssspence]

for anyone curious, looks like jordan cannot be traded until 3/1, at which point he'd need to consent to it anyway.

[ScoobyDoo]

I'd do:
Pierce, Wilcox and Dooling
for
Butler / Mo / Thompkins / Bledsoe

* Flip Butler and Mo for additional young players / picks in the off season
* Develop Bledsoe behind Rondo
* Thompkins is what I'm after - a big man with a shot at developing a real low post game.

If you can pull out two additional, good young pieces by flipping Butler and Mo to teams on the verge, you'd end up with four young pieces to your next team (Thompkins, Bledsoe and the two young guys from the Butler / Mo Williams trade.

They don't have to be superstars, that's what your cap space is for. They just have to become good, young, solid contributors for depth.

Bass / Thompkins / JJJ  
Jeff Green
Moore
Rondo / Bledsoe
* Two draft picks this year
* Two more young guys from the Butler / Mo trades
* a lot of cap space to go after max guys.

Clippers do the trade in a heart beat.

Jordan
Griffin
Pierce
Billups
Paul

This is "only" if "Pierce" wanted out instead of rebuilding the next few years...

[Roy H.]

The trade fit isn't really there.


They will not want to give away their only C

Yeah, pretty much.  Especially when they're getting pretty good production from their swing positions.

[action781]

Can Billups be traded this season?  Who could use him?

What about a 3 team trade completely blowing it up along the lines of:

LAC trades away: Jordan, Billups, Butler, future 1st
LAC gets:  Pierce, Ray, JO, veteran rotational center from Team A

Team A trades away:  veteran rotational center, solid young prospect
Team A gets:  Billups, future 1st

Boston trades away:  Pierce, Ray, JO
Boston gets:  Jordan, Butler, solid young prospect from team A


*This veteran rotational center would be a guy who's not great, but you can stick in him a playoff game and he won't kill you.  A guy like JO, Kaman, Okafor, Zaza, Varejao, Dalembert

*The solid young prospect has to have proven to have potential to produce in the NBA.  Guys like Evans or Cousins and not guys like Anthony Randolph.

[ssspence]

The trade fit isn't really there.


They will not want to give away their only C

Yeah, pretty much.  Especially when they're getting pretty good production from their swing positions.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PERDiem-120118/nba-lobs-nice-overall-los-angeles-clippers-incomplete

This article suggests otherwise. PP would certainly cure a number of things that ail the Clips -- he's plays up to the occasion in the playoffs, and remains a major upgrade over Butler, whose ESPN photo is one of the scariest things i've ever seen:

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/1705/caron-butler

You could add in JO, take back Gomes, then amnesty him.

[byennie]

The trade fit isn't really there.


They will not want to give away their only C

Yeah, pretty much.  Especially when they're getting pretty good production from their swing positions.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PERDiem-120118/nba-lobs-nice-overall-los-angeles-clippers-incomplete

This article suggests otherwise. PP would certainly cure a number of things that ail the Clips -- he's plays up to the occasion in the playoffs, and remains a major upgrade over Butler, whose ESPN photo is one of the scariest things i've ever seen:

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/1705/caron-butler

You could add in JO, take back Gomes, then amnesty him.

Can't. Amnesty only applies to players already on your roster when the rule was adopted.