Boston and Houston potential draft day trade partners according to nbadraft.net

[Eja117]

I'm not sure I'm buying this for a couple reasons.
One is that Houston has tons of young pieces. I'm not sure they want three picks in this draft. Second is that I'm not sure they'd want Teague either because they have two very decent pgs. It would imply to me that they don't think they can resign Goran Dragic or something.


Therefore....putting pieces together here.....I bring you a pure speculative trade.

Celtics get Royce and the rights to Donatas M

Houston gets.....the two picks, Etwaun Moore, possible 2nd rounders, and possible cash

Why it works.....Houston get the guards they need in Moore and Teague and they simultaneously thin out their front court where they badly need to make some more minutes available to guys like Patrick Patterson, Chandler Parsons, Marcus Morris, and Scola. It gives them a good excuse to pick more of a project big man like Fab Melo and/or Festus E, which makes some sense because their big men Scola, Camby, and Dalembert are 32, 38, and 31 respectively. The 2nd rounders allow them to stash things overseas for the future and they could always use some cash.

Why it works for the Celts. Having drafted a Lithuanian before Danny is ahead of the curve on this. Bringing in two relatively mature young players fits the win now mold in Boston. The Celts can't afford any projects. Danny is on record very recently saying any player they pick up has to be ready now. If they lose Ray they will need guys that can shoot from the outside. Danny will want to keep JJJ for his defense. Royce as a ball handler is very helpful in case anything happens to Rondo and also helps replace Paul Pierce's passing skills should he leave us now or later.

Another possibility could be if JJJ lights it up in summer league he could end up in this trade and things could get more interesting.

If Danny has a strong indication KG and/or Ray will leave you could see Kevin Martin here.

[tyrone biggums]

i can see him moving up for austin

We don't have the juice to move up for Austin, I think hes going around 7th

[rondohondo]

Here was a very good article on how unique a talent Royce White is from nbadraft.net. He sounds an awful lot like Rondo stepping up his production against the better teams ...

Royce White is a truly fascinating prospect. Not every potential draft pick who comes along has taught himself to play the piano. Very few, if any, college students have turned their 21st birthday party into a non-alcoholic event to help fundraise for a group that serves children with mental health and behavioral disorders. White has spoken openly of past problems at Minnesota, interests beyond basketball, wanting to visit Tibet, and admitted to not like flying. For all of the off the court elements of White that make him interesting, it is what he did on the court that takes the cake. Not only was he the only player in college basketball to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocked shots, but he had the most remarkable split in how he functioned in a given game based off his team's need. In Iowa State’s 18 games against teams that did not finish the season in the RPI Top 100, White averaged 10.1 points on 51.9 percent shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 offensive rebounds, 5.6 assists. 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocked shots in 29.3 minutes per game. He often served as Iowa State’s point guard, and a 10.1 point and 5.6 assist average is not dissimilar from the lines put forth by Scoop Jardine and Marquis Teague across all splits. In and of itself, that particular statistical split is rather impressive for someone who is 6’ 8” and 261 lbs, but only part of what speaks to the unique nature of his season.


the 16 games in which the Cyclones faced RPI 100 opponents, his averages jumped to 17.1 points on 54.3 percent shooting, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 offensive rebounds, 4.4 assists. 1.4 steals, and 1.0 blocked shots in 34 minutes per game. Depending on his opposition, he effectively went from an oversized point guard who could get all his teammates involved to quite possibly the most dynamic offensive prospect among the forwards in this draft class. When comparing the performances against teams in the RPI Top 100 of the fifteen forwards projected in NBADraft.net’s June 20th mock to go in the first round when, White ranked first in assists and free throws attempted, third in field goal percentage and steals, fourth in scoring and offensive rebounds, fifth in defensive rebounds, and seventh in blocked shots. His advantages also go into the more subjective where it can easily be argued that is the best ball handler of the group as well as the player who was the most successful finishing inside with both hands. Where he ranked poorly was in free throw percentage and turnovers, last in each category. The turnover statistic when assessed as part of his overall usage and otherwise overall effectiveness is much less of a concern than the free throw percentage. If his free throw shooting remains at around 50 percent, it could lessen the value of his ability to get to the rim off the dribble, score in the low post, and offensive rebound.

White’s split by opposition would be even more stark if one considers the performances in losses to Drake (RPI rank: 133) and Oklahoma State (RPI rank: 120). In those two games, he attempted his most (19) and third most (16) field goal attempts on the season and averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Regardless, when looking upon him both statistically and stylistically, he appears to be the most unique an NBA prospect to come along in some time. After accounting for the difference in minutes played, which typically accounts for most statistical increases for star players against better competition, White took 60.1 percent more field goal and free throw attempts when he faced RPI 100 teams than he did against all others. In the net, he took 5 more field goal attempts, 2 more free throw attempts, and averaged 7 more points per game. This extreme alteration in style has not been seen before. Statistically, such deviances happen from time to time, but usually can be explained. For example, this season, Purdue’s Lewis Jackson, Temple’s Micheal Eric, and Festus Ezeli had far more active stat lines in games in RPI 100 games than in others, however the explanations for those splits are related to their injuries. Eric and Ezeli missed a number of games due to knee problems. It just so happened that the majority of the games in which they worked themselves back into their typical form were against weaker opposition. Lewis Jackson spent much of his season bothered by foot and back problems, the latter of which limited him from practice all season long and forced him to pick his spots in which games he would be aggressive. Beyond injuries, there are occasions where there is one improbably outlier game that greatly a season output. Dion Waiters had a career game against Cincinnati in the Big East tournament where he had 28 points on 7-10 from behind the arc. More than one-sixth of all the three pointers he made on the year came in that one game, and as a result has his end of the year numbers look like he is a much more developed perimeter shooter than the rest of his two-year body of work would have a person believe. Neither injury nor outlier is the case with White, which makes the splits so interesting.

The importance of the splits when looking at White as an NBA prospect is that one of the larger on-court questions put forth about him is whether or not he can succeed if the team that drafts him does not play him in the same way Fred Hoiberg did at Iowa State. While it is always prudent to consider how a player’s strengths and weaknesses would fit the role he would be asked to play, in this case it understates the revealed versatility of his play as well as embedded on court understanding to know what his team needs of him to best help them in a given game. His performance this season was much more complex than simply him playing the LeBron-role in the Big Twelve. If a team needed a power forward who could get on the offensive glass, White pulled down 2.4 offensive rebounds in Big Twelve games and 2.9 in games against the RPI Top 100, which is not all that different from the 2.7 offensive rebounds Thomas Robinson did in the Big Twelve and 2.8 against the RPI Top 100 for whom his ability to get a team an extra possession is viewed as a major strength. White can operate effectively on both ends of the pick and roll as either point or screener. As effective as he was working dribble handoffs that rolled into screens at Iowa State, it is hard believe he would not also be a quality and willing screener if he was also off the ball.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2012-draft-study-results

[slamtheking]

Moving up for White is foolish.  He'll be there at 21.  Moving up for Moultrie makes sense.

[Yogi]

Moultrie please...that is who I want to move up to get. Unfortunately I think delusional will move up for White. When DA falls in love he falls hard (see Jeff Green).

what exactly is delusional about Danny Ainge? It appears to me he almost always makes the right decision .

Lets Posey walk- Posey is useless for the last 2 years of his new contract.

Lets Powe Walk- People were angry at Danny for this, but Powe has never regained his early celtics form after multiple knee injuries

Trades Perk for Jeff Green and a 1st- Perk at 8 mil plus is just ridiculous . If Jeff Green comes back healthy(Turiaf  had the same surgery and has played for 5+ years since then), and the c's make even a decent pick(Fab Melo) with # 22 they win this trade hands down .

Trades BBD for Bass: Trades a near 30 mil contract for a 4 mil 1 year deal and better production. We can still use Bass in a s+t or use his free cap space to bring in another player.

The only one you can say that really got away was Tony Allen, but that was more of Tony Allen wanting to step out of the shadow of the big 3 .

He has drafted very well for where he has been picking in the draft. I just don't see how you can hate Danny so much

Delusional people don't rely on reason.

[slamdunk]

Moultrie please...that is who I want to move up to get. Unfortunately I think delusional will move up for White. When DA falls in love he falls hard (see Jeff Green).

what exactly is delusional about Danny Ainge? It appears to me he almost always makes the right decision .

Lets Posey walk- Posey is useless for the last 2 years of his new contract.

Lets Powe Walk- People were angry at Danny for this, but Powe has never regained his early celtics form after multiple knee injuries

Trades Perk for Jeff Green and a 1st- Perk at 8 mil plus is just ridiculous . If Jeff Green comes back healthy(Turiaf  had the same surgery and has played for 5+ years since then), and the c's make even a decent pick(Fab Melo) with # 22 they win this trade hands down .

Trades BBD for Bass: Trades a near 30 mil contract for a 4 mil 1 year deal and better production. We can still use Bass in a s+t or use his free cap space to bring in another player.

The only one you can say that really got away was Tony Allen, but that was more of Tony Allen wanting to step out of the shadow of the big 3 .

He has drafted very well for where he has been picking in the draft. I just don't see how you can hate Danny so much

You make a lot of sense. The only one I disagree with is Posey. He was a key player on that title team and would have been important the next couple of years. If he was horrible for the final year or two, you could always amnesty him.

[Smokeeye123]

Moultrie please...that is who I want to move up to get. Unfortunately I think delusional will move up for White. When DA falls in love he falls hard (see Jeff Green).

This, Moultrie has way more upside than White.

[henr1k]

I don't understand the love for Moultrie on this board. His defense is atrocious, he has character questions.. Do you really want a guy like that on this team?

One more thing, it's seems like you all forget that Doc doesn't play players (especially rookies) who can't play D.

That's the reason why JJJ didn't get any playing time despite being able to contribute on the offensive end.

[bfrombleacher]

I don't understand the love for Moultrie on this board. His defense is atrocious, he has character questions.. Do you really want a guy like that on this team?

One more thing, it's seems like you all forget that Doc doesn't play players (especially rookies) who can't play D.

You can't teach height or talent.

[The One]

If Danny moves up for him, there is a reason behind it.  Maybe he thinks this is the 6'8", 265 lb Rondo.

I like him alot but I am not convinced that him and Rondo can fit together.

[mctyson]

We move up in the draft for ONE player = Austin Rivers.

[All Star Matt Clement]

drafting Rivers would cause a conflict of interest for Doc no?

[celticinorlando]

sullinger

[Tradetime]

You don't move up for Royce White...he'll be around at 21 if you really want him

I hope another team picks him early, so we don't have to hear his name mentioned ever again.

I second that statement. Terrance Jones, Sullinger, Perry Jones III, and Moultrie I'd all move up for at 16.

Royce White was a sub-50% free throw shooter, wasn't he? And a guy that is supposed to be "the sf/pf version of Rondo," handling the ball...that kind of matters - a lot!

[BleedGreen1989]

Moving up for White is foolish.  He'll be there at 21.  Moving up for Moultrie makes sense.

This x2