Celtics have more flexibility than the Mavs and Nets

[wdleehi]

The key to getting someone like Howard to join is:

a)  Teammates in place.  Celtics have Rondo and Pierce with the ability to bring back KG and Ray for a low price.

I actually think we need another young piece in place with Rondo to really entice Dwight. I'm of the minority here, but I feel pretty strongly that the chance to play with an aging Big 3 isn't piquing his interest too much.

I am not saying it will.  I am just listing the Celtics biggest draws at the moment.

[chambers]

I've brought this up before, but I know people who have moved to warmer climates for the sole reason of never having to drive in winter weather again.  So, it's absolutely unsurprising that some people, given a choice, would want to avoid that.

I'm sure Wyc would let him borrow one of the team helicopters to get to and from work. Just build a helipad on top of the practice gym/TD garden.

The chopper could pick up the other guys on the way.

Knowing our luck though, the chopper would crash with our starting five on board.

[BballTim]

I've brought this up before, but I know people who have moved to warmer climates for the sole reason of never having to drive in winter weather again.  So, it's absolutely unsurprising that some people, given a choice, would want to avoid that.

  I don't think it's always the driving. Well, a lot of the time it is, along with the chipping and the putting.

[ianboyextreme]

If he makes it to free agency, its between us and Orlando.

Zach Lowe pointed out that half the teams in the NBA could clear the cap space to sign a free agent to a max contract.

One example Lowe gives is the scenario of Indiana renouncing Roy Hibbert and George Hill to sign Eric Gordon (and I think that the Celtics, with their cap space, could pick off players like that for draft picks, if there is a team that will give away players just to create cap space).

If Howard wanted to be on a team with a core that looked to be a contender for the next four seasons, could you imagine if the Pacers effectively traded Hibbert and Hill for Howard (perhaps even as sign-and-trades to send them to Orlando)?

If you are Dwight Howard, what sounds more exciting: being in a lineup with Danny Granger, Paul George, David West, and Darren Collison, or joining Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo while trusting Danny Ainge to work some magic to fill out the rest of the roster?

But that would only be if Howard cares only about winning and doesn't care about being in that bump of humanity surrounded by corn fields.

Im trying to look at this objectively, and the celtics scenario still looks way more attractive than that indiana scenario.

[heitingas]

Mavs are going to go after Deron, after that they won't have cap space to give Dwight. So that takes Mavs and Nets out of DH12 contest. Lakers don't have the cap room and won't amnesty Pau or Bynum. That takes them out. If he makes it to free agency, its between us and Orlando.

They could clear their roster leaving Dirk by trading their players, using amnesty on haywood or marion, leaving them 34.6M cap room, split between Deron and Dwight that's 17.3M each. That's 1M less than signing them to the max for non bird FA.

But Howard's teammates might be of juwan howard calibre instead of KG and Ray.

Dirk is $20.9 (million of course).  Odom's buyout is $2.4.  Carter's buy-out is $2.  They can only amnesty one of Haywood or Marion - let's assume Haywood since they'd be going for Howard, so they'd have Marion's $8.4.  Their two young guys combine for $3.5 but they should be easy to trade way for nothing in return.  

$61.1 cap projection - ($20.9 + $2.4 + $2 + $8.4 + (8 * $.5 cap holds)) = $23.4 in cap space.  Even if they manage to dump Marion's 2 years $17+ on an under-the-cap team without taking any salary back, they'd be at $31.3, which splits into $15.63.  Sadly, that is more than the Miami trio took individually in their first years, so this is somewhat plausible.

They don't have to waive Odom and pay him 2.4M,they can wait till he becomes fully guaranteed and trade his expiring contract.
I think Haywood could get traded with Odom to the Kings,that makes sense. Or Haywood is dealt somewhere else as he only makes 3/27, his 4th year is non guaranteed.

Then amnesty Marion, I guess Carter could get traded as he has 6M, 2 years left on his contract.

Beaubois and Jones could easily be traded.

Leaving Dirk + cap holds = 34.6M in cap space.

[FallGuy]

Flexibility sort of overrated here. The big free agents (Howard, Williams) will go where they want one way or another.

Boston's weather isn't the only problem. The town is flat out sleepy compared to some.

[LooseCannon]

They don't have to waive Odom and pay him 2.4M,they can wait till he becomes fully guaranteed and trade his expiring contract.
I think Haywood could get traded with Odom to the Kings,that makes sense. Or Haywood is dealt somewhere else as he only makes 3/27, his 4th year is non guaranteed.

The ideal for Dallas is a three-way trade before the last year becomes fully guaranteed.  The Mavericks send Odom to a team with cap space and get a future second-round pick plus a trade exception.  That team sends Odom to a third team for salary it wants to shed.  That third team then waives Odom, either to reduce the luxury tax bill or to gain some cap space (or to get under the luxury tax threshold so they can use the full MLE rather than the mini-MLE for tax paying teams).

I'm not 100% sure they get a trade exception, but I think that's how it works, since the year for purposes of the salary cap begins July 1.  The trade exception does count against the cap, so they would have to renounce it in order to sign a big free agent, but it could be part of a plan B of keeping Marion and Heywood, maybe bringing back Jason Terry on a short contract (Jason Kidd, too, I suppose), giving more minutes to their youngsters like Mahinmi and Beaubois, and using the exception to bring in someone with an $8 million salary.