If KG Doesn't Retire: 4 Trades

[PhoSita]

Trade 1:
Paul Pierce (~$16.5 million / 1 year remaining)

for

Kris Humphries ($12 million / 1 year remaining)
+
Mirza Teletovic (~$3 million / 2 years remaining)
+
Nets 2013 1st Round Pick (#22-23)


Trade 2:
Kevin Garnett (~$12 million / 2 years remaining)

for

Caron Butler ($8 million / 1 year remaining)
+
Eric Bledsoe (~$2 million / 1 year remaining)


Trade 3:
Courtney Lee ($5 million / 3 years left)

for

Luke Ridnour ($4 million / 1 year left)
+
T-Wolves 2014 2nd Round Pick


Trade 4:
Jason Terry ($5 million / 2 years left)

for

Grizzlies' Trade Exception ($5 million)
+
Raptors' 2013 2nd Round Pick (#41)



Celtics send out ~$38.5 million ($22 million long term)
Celtics get back ~$29 million ($26 million expiring contracts)
Celtics receive 2013 1st, 2013 2nd, 2014 2nd

Could also buyout Butler and / or Ridnour in order to save more money and open up roster spots for younger players.

Imagine Celtics pick in draft (looking at DraftExpress mock)
#16 - Jeff Withey
#22 - Giannis Adetokunbo
#41 - Tim Hardaway Jr


2013-2014 Celtics training camp roster:
Rondo / Bledsoe / Ridnour
Bradley / Crawford / Hardaway Jr.
Green / Butler / Terrence Williams / Adetokunbo
Sullinger / Bass / Teletovic / White
Humphries / Withey / Shav. Randolph / Melo



This combines some rumors from around the trade deadline with an idea of my own -- sending Terry to the Grizz for a chunk of their TE and a pick in the middle of the second round in a weak draft.  The Grizz look pretty good in the playoffs right now, but they could still really use a veteran shooter off the bench, and I think that Terry could still have a bounce back season despite his age if he gets a change of scenery and a system that suits him better.

The reasoning for the Clips / Nets trading for Pierce and KG is clear.  Both teams got bounced in the first round and are desperate to make "big" moves to please their fans or their franchise point guard.  Once the Clippers secure Chris Paul with a long term deal (which will happen once VDN is fired and Paul picks the new coach himself), they will be more secure in trading Bledsoe.  Paul will be placated if they can get a legit veteran big for him to pass to.  KG will waive his no-trade if the Celtics trade Paul Pierce first.

The Paul Pierce trade is essentially the same package the Nets offered at the deadline, only with Teletovic instead of Brooks.  The change is partly to make salaries work without extra filler coming from the Nets, and partly because Teletovic is probably a better prospect and the Nets should be desperate enough give up a little more.

The main goals here would be to shed a LOT of future salary, which gives us cap flexibility, get some extra picks this year and one next year (2nd rounder), and be pretty bad for next season, giving us a shot at a top 10 pick in a LOADED draft.

That roster headed into training camp is not pretty, obviously.  The only true center on the list who is likely to be ready to play in the NBA is Withey.  You'll notice that's a fair amount more than 15 names so some people will be cut (Shav, White, T-Will being the main candidates if Butler and/or Ridnour aren't bought out).

Still, that team could be fun to watch at times, and it will give Rondo and Green the opportunity to prove if they can be the two main guys on a young team.  Hopefully that will increase their trade value heading into the deadline next season and especially the 2014 draft.

There are probably no long term keepers in this group.  Nobody who is definitely a cornerstone who is untouchable.  But we'd head into next season already with a lot of assets and plenty of cap flexibility to look forward to, despite being in "Year 1" of the post-KG era.  That would be quite an enormous win for the team, in my book.

[SHAQATTACK]

Idea ....keep KG  and   Dump Pierce.for a Big

[PhoSita]

Idea ....keep KG  and   Dump Pierce.for a Big

I don't think there's really any scenario where we keep one of Pierce or KG and trade / waive the other.

[Monkhouse]

Which won't work? KG has stated numerous times if Paul Pierce gets traded then he'll retire.

[PhoSita]

Which won't work? KG has stated numerous times if Paul Pierce gets traded then he'll retire.

I don't think he's ever explicitly stated that.

[LarBrd33]

Idea ....keep KG  and   Dump Pierce.for a Big

Pierce for Pau Gasol would solve a lot of problems for both teams, honestly.

[Yogi]

Sorry man, but you want to trade Pierce for Kris Humphries and Teletovic?

Why?  Pierce right now is a better player than all of those guys combined and he is expiring any way. 

Why would you want to trade the face of your franchise to help a division rival?

Giannis won't be around for the 16th pick let alone the 22nd, but with a little luck you can probably get Giannis at the 16th and Withey at the 22nd.  Even so, do you think the 22nd pick in this draft is worth trading Paul to Brooklyn? because Humphries and Teletovic are awful. 

Of all your trades the only thing that is worth anything is Eric Bledsoe and the late first rounder.  I can see trading one of Pierce and Kg for both Bledsoe, a first round pick and filler but certainly not both. 

[PhoSita]

Idea ....keep KG  and   Dump Pierce.for a Big

Pierce for Pau Gasol would solve a lot of problems for both teams, honestly.

If the Celtics are trying to "win now" with Pau (degenerative tendinitis in his knees) and 37 year old KG, sure.

Sorry man, but you want to trade Pierce for Kris Humphries and Teletovic?

You have to trade Pierce first in order to get KG to sign off on a trade.  Pierce is the first domino.


At this point, the Nets package is probably about the best you can do for Pierce in a trade.  It's hard to believe, but Pierce is a 36 year old scoring wing who has lost a couple of steps and is being paid over $16 million next season.  Unless somebody wants to trade for him just to waive him and get cap space, he doesn't have a ton of value, even as a "win now" piece.

The Nets trade gets us an extra first round pick this season and sets the KG trade in motion.  The real prize is getting Eric Bledsoe, but in order to get that, you have to trade Pierce first, and the Nets are the only eager takers I'm aware of.  I'd be totally on board with trading Pierce to the Mavs instead, say for filler and a first round pick.  But I haven't heard any rumors suggesting that's necessarily on the table.


As for the draft stuff, it's just a hypothetical projection, not what I think will necessarily happen.  I went off of the DraftExpress mock.  I don't really care if the Celtics can get Giannis at 22 or not.

[aporel#18]

If KG doesn't retire you play him and Pierce, and try to use their contracts at the deadline or around 2014 draft.

Lee and Terry's trade value might be at an all-time low right now, so you need them to play a lot next year to make them attractive trade assets... at the deadline.

But if KG retires, you need to get something out of him, and try to maximize what Pierce can get in return. No Humphries, you need to land an All Star, or young players + bad short term contracts + picks. The Nets can't trade their first round pick in consecutive years, I think, so it wouldn't work that way.

Trade&retire Garnett (files papers after trade) for Turkoglu and the Orlando 2014 first rounder. Win-win.

Trade Pierce to Chicago for Boozer + the Bobcats 2014 first rounder.

Get something good out of Terry/Lee/Bass at the right moment, when their value is high.

The primary goal is get some assets and flexibility to be a player in the 2014 Draft and Free Agency. The Celtics won't get the top pick through ping pong balls, but they can get their building blocks through trades.

[Yogi]

Idea ....keep KG  and   Dump Pierce.for a Big

Pierce for Pau Gasol would solve a lot of problems for both teams, honestly.

If the Celtics are trying to "win now" with Pau (degenerative tendinitis in his knees) and 37 year old KG, sure.

Sorry man, but you want to trade Pierce for Kris Humphries and Teletovic?

You have to trade Pierce first in order to get KG to sign off on a trade.  Pierce is the first domino.


At this point, the Nets package is probably about the best you can do for Pierce in a trade.  It's hard to believe, but Pierce is a 36 year old scoring wing who has lost a couple of steps and is being paid over $16 million next season.  Unless somebody wants to trade for him just to waive him and get cap space, he doesn't have a ton of value, even as a "win now" piece.

The Nets trade gets us an extra first round pick this season and sets the KG trade in motion.  The real prize is getting Eric Bledsoe, but in order to get that, you have to trade Pierce first, and the Nets are the only eager takers I'm aware of.  I'd be totally on board with trading Pierce to the Mavs instead, say for filler and a first round pick.  But I haven't heard any rumors suggesting that's necessarily on the table.


As for the draft stuff, it's just a hypothetical projection, not what I think will necessarily happen.  I went off of the DraftExpress mock.  I don't really care if the Celtics can get Giannis at 22 or not.
 

At the end of the day you are trading KG and Pierce for Eric Bledsoe, a late first and a couple of second rounders.  I love Eric Bledsoe, but by himself he is not worth the legacy and leadership not to mention the entertainment as a fan of having Pierce and KG just finish their career here.  If you can get Eric Bledsoe and an all-star or a lottery pick then you would have to consider it of course, but not Eric Bledsoe and a bunch of garbage. 

[Who]

I wonder if DeAndre Jordan has more trade value than Eric Bledsoe. I think D.Jordan may be a better asset to go after than Bledsoe in a Garnett trade.

Unless you are planning on trading Rajon Rondo and betting on Eric Bledsoe to be the long term fixture at PG.

[PhoSita]

I wonder if DeAndre Jordan has more trade value than Eric Bledsoe. I think D.Jordan may be a better asset to go after than Bledsoe in a Garnett trade.

Unless you are planning on trading Rajon Rondo and betting on Eric Bledsoe to be the long term fixture at PG.

I don't know if I would say I'd be betting on Bledsoe to be the long term fixture, but part the longview for me is that Rondo would be shopped heavily at the deadline and around the draft next year, and Bledsoe would get his shot at the starting PG spot once that happens.

I would like Jordan as a trade target if he made about half as much money as he does.


Bledsoe intrigues me because his value could go up a lot if he got the starting gig for half a season or more and put up really nice numbers.  It's a risk, though, because he could end up just being a nice but not all that special player (e.g. 15 pts 7 asts in 30 minutes) and then he wouldn't have all that much value.

[BleedGreen1989]

I don't get dumping Pierce for expiring contracts because Pierce is expiring himself. I like the idea of obtaining Bledsoe and Jordan for KG but that ship may have sailed

[LarBrd33]

Idea ....keep KG  and   Dump Pierce.for a Big

Pierce for Pau Gasol would solve a lot of problems for both teams, honestly.

If the Celtics are trying to "win now" with Pau (degenerative tendinitis in his knees) and 37 year old KG, sure.

Yeah I'm in favor of trading everyone for expiring contracts, young assets and draft picks... that's always the best approach when your team ceases to be a contender and doesn't have the assets to put a contender together.

But if we insist on standing pat for the most part, the one trade that makes a lot of sense is Pierce of Pau. 

[PhoSita]

Idea ....keep KG  and   Dump Pierce.for a Big

Pierce for Pau Gasol would solve a lot of problems for both teams, honestly.

If the Celtics are trying to "win now" with Pau (degenerative tendinitis in his knees) and 37 year old KG, sure.

Yeah I'm in favor of trading everyone for expiring contracts, young assets and draft picks... that's always the best approach when your team ceases to be a contender and doesn't have the assets to put a contender together.

But if we insist on standing pat for the most part, the one trade that makes a lot of sense is Pierce of Pau.

Except for the whole "would require trading Paul Pierce to the Lakers" thing, which would go over about as well with fans as a free lobotomy.


Anyway, I think Pau and KG would have been a great fit together a few years ago, but right now I'd say both KG and Pau have to play at center in order to stay relatively fresh and productive without being taken advantage of by quicker, younger players.

I think Pau could be a really interesting fit playing at center on the Mavs next to Dirk or on the T-Wolves next to Love.