Prediction: Celtics will wait till trade deadline to make any major moves.

[revtodd64]

After all the rumors, I think the Celtics will only make minor moves before the season starts.  Look at all the ideas that are now dead in the water:
1.  Plan A - Paul Milsap signed with the Hawks.
2.  Josh Smith signs with Detroit.
3.  Tyreke Evans traded to the Pelicans.
4.  Al Jefferson signs with the Bobcats.
5.  Dallas was interested in Rondo, but they got Calderon. 
6.  Utah needed a point guard but got one at number 9 in the draft.
7.  You knew Howard was never coming here, right?

Ainge will do his best to clean up the logjam at SG and PF, mainly trying to move Bass and Lee for whatever he can get.    Detroit may still make a push for Rondo, but I think Ainge waits if there is any interest in trading Rondo.  Waiting accomplishes several purposes.

1.  Let new coach Stevens see what he has got and who he likes. 
2.  Let Rondo and Sullinger get healthy and play a little.  Rondo's trade value goes up once he plays and gets a few triple-doubles.  Right now they are at a low point in trade value.
3.  Let Gerald Wallace play.  He's only 30 and has had some great years.  He can't be washed up already, and nobody sees him as anything but a terrible contract until he has a string of 15 point, 7 rebound games and pushes some SF around the court.

I think Ainge should bring back Rondo and Sullinger slowly.  Play alot of small ball with a lineup of PG Bradley, SG Lee/Brooks, SF Wallace, PF Green, C Bass/Humphries with Olynyk, spelling the bigs.  It would not win games but it will feed minutes and somebody in that lineup will put up good numbers and increase their value.  After a terrible but spirited start to the season, bring in Rondo and show some signs of life and start trading whoever increases their value.  If Ainge wants to trade Rondo, so it at the deadline with Detroit and they will be ready to do something like Monroe/Knight and expiring contracts for Rondo and either Lee/Bass unless they are gone already. 

Clearly a lot of players have to go, but I think Ainge waits until he gets value.  I think Detroit is the only really big deal that might be left, but only if they cough up what Ainge wants.

[WMark]

Sign Greg Oden for mid-level exception 2 years

[Afam]

Deleted.

[Celtics4ever]

Sign Greg Oden for mid-level exception 2 years

Could be throwing away money. 

[Who]

My hopes for a 15-20mpg starting center are fading fast

[Celtics4ever]

My hopes for a 15-20mpg starting center are fading fast

Maybe it was not all Doc with small ball, maybe DA is part of it, too.

[lightspeed5]

My hopes for a 15-20mpg starting center are fading fast

we're trying to get wiggins. no center.

[clover]

I'm fine with bringing Sullinger back slowly, but I want plenty of minutes for the two rookie bigs, especially Olynyk.

I expect either Bass or Wallace to be gone before the start of the season and possibly even both of them.  Green IMO needs to be planted at the three unless there's some situational need to have him guarding a quick 4.

[cman88]

This  means we are going to tank. They are no moves to be made at the trade deadline. All the good players are gone. Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith. Players like gortat makes no sense for a rebuilding team. Look for bass and co to be gone so. We are going to tank for one season, clear out cap space and try to land a big free agent. If that doesn't work, then we will use our picks to land one.

pretty much this..

this year is all about developing/showing off our assets so we can up their trade value..

and the celts have a legit excuse with Rondo "recovering from an acl" to bring him back slowly which greatly decreases our chances of winning games.

[LooseCannon]

I expect either Bass or Wallace to be gone before the start of the season and possibly even both of them.

I don't expect either to be gone.  Ainge shouldn't expend assets such as draft picks, even second rounders, to get rid of those contracts.  Additionally, the Celtics could use someone to eat up minutes at center and Bass is a mediocre option to give 15-20 minutes per game in that role, which might be a better use of resources than a scrap heap minimum-salary veteran.

Bass would make a fine pick-up for a team making a playoff push that needs depth at power forward, perimeter shooting, and an active defender who can be used against players like Carmelo and Lebron.

[rondoallaturca]

Honestly, I still expect some sort of move before the season starts so that we actually have a legitimate center. I think Ainge is going to wait and see how ready Melo is in summer league, but I for one think it's still too early to throw him into the fire.

People might say that it wouldn't hurt keeping the frontcourt the way it is and give Sully and Olynyk even more opportunity to develop by letting them play center, but IMO that's detrimental to their development. They're going to struggle a lot more out of the center spot.

[LooseCannon]

People might say that it wouldn't hurt keeping the frontcourt the way it is and give Sully and Olynyk even more opportunity to develop by letting them play center, but IMO that's detrimental to their development. They're going to struggle a lot more out of the center spot.

Well, that's why you use Bass and Humphries as smallball centers and play Sullinger and Olynyk at the 4 if there are no roster moves.

[rondoallaturca]

Well, that's why you use Bass and Humphries as smallball centers and play Sullinger and Olynyk at the 4 if there are no roster moves.

Good point. I expect Bass to be moved though.

[Evantime34]

We have too many players, I think they pair down the roster to pick up a back up pg and a center.

At the trading deadline they will move any of their long term contracts that is playing well.

[LarBrd33]

Does Rondo's trade value really "go up" once he plays?

Right now he's seen by many as an allstar point guard who is going to be 100% healthy when he gets back from his mild injury.  The fact that ya'll think his trade value "will go up" once he comes back just reiterates that idea.

Seems few are considering the possibility that Rondo comes back, struggles mightily, takes a while to recover from his injury, throws a fit about playing for a tanking team, fails to succeed without Pierce and KG, etc.   All of these possibilities would actually cause his trade value to plummet from where it currently stands. 

It can be argued that even with his injury, his trade value is about as high as it's going to get.   Andrew Bynum seems to be a good example of this.  Despite his knee issue, he still was a key part in allowing the Lakers to land Dwight Howard.   At this point, I don't see Bynum as having anywhere near the trade value he did last offseason.

Rondo's trade value only "goes up", if he comes back 100% healthy.   Right now there's a 50% chance of that happening.  If he comes back less than 100% and struggles mightily... then there's a 0% chance of that happening and nobody will want him.