Celtics interested in Amare

[BleedGreen1989]

Next season, trading Wallace will be easier than trading Amare.

Trading Amare next year will be easier than trading him this year and yet, if the trade were to occur, the Knicks would be able to pull it off, so I don't see where trading Amare next year would be easier than trading Wallace.

GSW traded over $20 million in expiring contracts away in one trade last off season.

Just do not agree with you here LC.

Look at team payrolls across the league for 2014-15, and try to come up with a feasible trade that involves Amare's $23 million contract. It's not easy at all. Sacramento so far is the only potential partner that I've found.

Why do we even have to trade Amare's contract? Just let it expire.

[Lucky17]

Why do we even have to trade Amare's contract? Just let it expire.

OK. How else does the roster improve in 2014-15 if you've used the Humphries chip to get Amare, and you let the TE expire? You're already approaching the luxury threshold, and it's Rondo's last year under contract.

[aporel#18]

Dumping salaries will be the last option Danny takes.

Ainge wants picks or a nice young player for Bass, Humprhies, Lee and now you can include Green.

At worse you can get back a 2nd pick for any of these guys and some definitely a 1st round pick.

IF nobody is willing to give up a pick or young player than by the trade deadline, definitely Wallace and Humprhies for Amare will happen.

Then likely Amare waived.

Getting rid of Wallace and Humprhies also = more time on the floor for Faverani and we can also bring up Osby.

Amare+Shump for Wallace+Humphries+Lee works for both teams, and the best "asset" the Celtics would get is cutting down some millions from the cap. Of course, if Shumpert could get back to 100%, he would be the best piece for the Cs, but you can't count on that.

Knicks have no other assets outside of Hardaway Jr., and they need useful players. As of today, Humphries, Lee and Wallace are better players than Amare or an injured Shumpert. The Knicks are in cap hell anyways, and after this trade they would be able to cut Hump's salary at the end of the season, while fielding a better team around Melo.

Wallace is not a scorer, but he can defend, can annoy LeBroid/Wade/Paul George/Pierce... he's useful for them.

Lee is healthy, can defend and can attack the basket, unlike JR or Melo. He's a good complement for the Knicks.

Humphries is a solid big, I actually like him a lot as the first big off the bench, but we can afford him. He could be useful for any contender, so he is a good fit there.

After that trade, the Celtics would still have Bass/Bogans/Crawesome to try to get one or more picks. Those are the easier to move contracts. Bogans pseudo-expiring can bring a young prospect, and if showcasing keeps going, Bass+Crawesome can bring a first round pick alongside a bad 2-year contract (Perkins?). That bad 2-year contract would be highly useful at the 2015 trade deadline, just like Amare's. A contender just can't have 25-30M in dead weight, but in this scenario the Celtics could afford that.

I hope Danny is looking for this kind of flexibility.

I'm sorry -- but this is all just wishful thinking. Your POV on the Knicks needs, your analysis of the Cs players and the trade itself.... all wishful thinking.

Teams do fairly frequently exchange junk for junk. Teams don't send good players on rookie contracts to other teams for crap -- not even the Knicks.

Granted it was the Knicks who floated that Shumpert-for-Faried rumor, but you think they've adjusted their goals from Faried to Courtney Lee? Or Gerald Wallace? On their contracts? C'mon....

Amare is not junk, is a walking corpse. And they need players. Lee/Wallace/Humphries may not be as good for the Knicks as I put it, but they're still better than "the best player in the trade" Amare. Come on...

Knicks need to make a trade, Celtics are in no hurry. Probably there won't be a trade, but if they were negotiating, I'd rather be Danny Ainge.

As far as the Manimal to Courtney Lee, as you said, it was the Knicks who were aiming for Faried, so either trade is as viable as the other one.

[LooseCannon]

Next season, trading Wallace will be easier than trading Amare.

Trading Amare next year will be easier than trading him this year and yet, if the trade were to occur, the Knicks would be able to pull it off, so I don't see where trading Amare next year would be easier than trading Wallace.

GSW traded over $20 million in expiring contracts away in one trade last off season.

Just do not agree with you here LC.

And they traded two firsts and two seconds to do so.  If you're going to give someone picks to take on a contract, I think it would cost less to get someone to take Wallace rather than Amare because you have a larger market of buyers who have enough cap space to take on that deal.

[LooseCannon]

Next season, trading Wallace will be easier than trading Amare.

Trading Amare next year will be easier than trading him this year and yet, if the trade were to occur, the Knicks would be able to pull it off, so I don't see where trading Amare next year would be easier than trading Wallace.

GSW traded over $20 million in expiring contracts away in one trade last off season.

Just do not agree with you here LC.

Look at team payrolls across the league for 2014-15, and try to come up with a feasible trade that involves Amare's $23 million contract. It's not easy at all. Sacramento so far is the only potential partner that I've found.

To Toronto for Gay and DeRozan.  Toronto would want picks as part of that deal.  I am pretty hardcore anti-Gay, so I wouldn't do that deal if I were the Celtics and had Amare, but it would make sense with the idea of the new Raptors GM clearing the decks of all the bad deals from the previous regime while trying to stockpile assets.

[D.o.s.]

Next season, trading Wallace will be easier than trading Amare.

Trading Amare next year will be easier than trading him this year and yet, if the trade were to occur, the Knicks would be able to pull it off, so I don't see where trading Amare next year would be easier than trading Wallace.

GSW traded over $20 million in expiring contracts away in one trade last off season.

Just do not agree with you here LC.

And they traded two firsts and two seconds to do so.  If you're going to give someone picks to take on a contract, I think it would cost less to get someone to take Wallace rather than Amare because you have a larger market of buyers who have enough cap space to take on that deal.

That's a good point. Golden State was arguably one Iggy-level player away from really being a contender (gambling on the good health of Bogut and Curry), and they mortgaged their future away in the short-term in order to free up the space to go after him.

I think we're too far away from a roster that can contend to really reap the benefits of A) picking up A'mare's contract and B) moving it for cap space later.

[LooseCannon]

I think we're too far away from a roster that can contend to really reap the benefits of A) picking up A'mare's contract and B) moving it for cap space later.

I think the team could theoretically contend by next season if we have a year of Rondo healing and young players developing, use the MLE or a trade exception to get a sixth man scoring wing, and then miraculously find a top five center suddenly available for a package of Bass (expiring), Bogans (unguaranteed), maybe Lee, some firsts, and possibly having to throw in either Olynyk or Faverani (if AInge holds the line on keeping Sullinger).  Or maybe Green for a center of the caliber of Omer Asik and use that package to get an All-Star level small forward.

It's unlikely, but it's not impossible.  Trades like that do happen, but they are sometimes unpredictable.  I'd like for Ainge to work the phones and wait to see if any teams get frustrated and decide to blow things up and tank for the next two drafts.

[D.o.s.]

You might be right.

I think we're too far away from a roster that can contend to really reap the benefits of A) picking up A'mare's contract and B) moving it for cap space later.

I think the team could theoretically contend by next season if we have a year of Rondo healing and young players developing, use the MLE or a trade exception to get a sixth man scoring wing, and then miraculously find a top five center suddenly available for a package of Bass (expiring), Bogans (unguaranteed), maybe Lee, some firsts, and possibly having to throw in either Olynyk or Faverani (if AInge holds the line on keeping Sullinger).  Or maybe Green for a center of the caliber of Omer Asik and use that package to get an All-Star level small forward.

It's unlikely, but it's not impossible.  Trades like that do happen, but they are sometimes unpredictable.  I'd like for Ainge to work the phones and wait to see if any teams get frustrated and decide to blow things up and tank for the next two drafts.

I think the team could theoretically contend by next season if we have a year of Rondo healing and young players developing, use the MLE or a trade exception to get a sixth man scoring wing, and then miraculously find a top five center suddenly available for a package of Bass (expiring), Bogans (unguaranteed), maybe Lee, some firsts, and possibly having to throw in either Olynyk or Faverani (if AInge holds the line on keeping Sullinger).  Or maybe Green for a center of the caliber of Omer Asik and use that package to get an All-Star level small forward.

then miraculously find a top five center suddenly available for a package of Bass (expiring), Bogans (unguaranteed), maybe Lee, some firsts, and possibly having to throw in either Olynyk or Faverani (if AInge holds the line on keeping Sullinger).  Or maybe Green for a center of the caliber of Omer Asik and use that package to get an All-Star level small forward.

some firsts, and possibly having to throw in either Olynyk or Faverani (if AInge holds the line on keeping Sullinger).  Or maybe Green for a center of the caliber of Omer Asik 

if AInge holds the line on keeping Sullinger).  Or maybe Green for a center of the caliber of Omer Asik 

if AInge holds the line

hold the line

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csvMrjvl__8

[fairweatherfan]

Next season, trading Wallace will be easier than trading Amare.

Trading Amare next year will be easier than trading him this year and yet, if the trade were to occur, the Knicks would be able to pull it off, so I don't see where trading Amare next year would be easier than trading Wallace.

GSW traded over $20 million in expiring contracts away in one trade last off season.

Just do not agree with you here LC.

And they traded two firsts and two seconds to do so.  If you're going to give someone picks to take on a contract, I think it would cost less to get someone to take Wallace rather than Amare because you have a larger market of buyers who have enough cap space to take on that deal.

That's a good point. Golden State was arguably one Iggy-level player away from really being a contender (gambling on the good health of Bogut and Curry), and they mortgaged their future away in the short-term in order to free up the space to go after him.

Plus, huge missing detail - the $20 million didn't go to one team.  Very different scenario. 

[Lucky17]

Next season, trading Wallace will be easier than trading Amare.

Trading Amare next year will be easier than trading him this year and yet, if the trade were to occur, the Knicks would be able to pull it off, so I don't see where trading Amare next year would be easier than trading Wallace.

GSW traded over $20 million in expiring contracts away in one trade last off season.

Just do not agree with you here LC.

Look at team payrolls across the league for 2014-15, and try to come up with a feasible trade that involves Amare's $23 million contract. It's not easy at all. Sacramento so far is the only potential partner that I've found.

To Toronto for Gay and DeRozan.  Toronto would want picks as part of that deal.  I am pretty hardcore anti-Gay, so I wouldn't do that deal if I were the Celtics and had Amare, but it would make sense with the idea of the new Raptors GM clearing the decks of all the bad deals from the previous regime while trying to stockpile assets.

True. But Gay will himself be an expiring deal then. So if Toronto were looking to unload him, they could potentially do all sorts of things with him.

[LooseCannon]

Next season, trading Wallace will be easier than trading Amare.

Trading Amare next year will be easier than trading him this year and yet, if the trade were to occur, the Knicks would be able to pull it off, so I don't see where trading Amare next year would be easier than trading Wallace.

GSW traded over $20 million in expiring contracts away in one trade last off season.

Just do not agree with you here LC.

Look at team payrolls across the league for 2014-15, and try to come up with a feasible trade that involves Amare's $23 million contract. It's not easy at all. Sacramento so far is the only potential partner that I've found.

To Toronto for Gay and DeRozan.  Toronto would want picks as part of that deal.  I am pretty hardcore anti-Gay, so I wouldn't do that deal if I were the Celtics and had Amare, but it would make sense with the idea of the new Raptors GM clearing the decks of all the bad deals from the previous regime while trying to stockpile assets.

True. But Gay will himself be an expiring deal then. So if Toronto were looking to unload him, they could potentially do all sorts of things with him.

They'd be taking on the bigger expiring contract in exchange for getting out from under DeRozan's horrible deal.

[fairweatherfan]

I am pretty hardcore anti-Gay

Can we please start a "Out-of-context statements for future political ads" thread?   

On topic, the more I look into moving Amar'e's salary the worse it looks.  Not a lot of plausible options out there.  The real benefit would be having it expire, which wouldn't be that great since shuffling contracts to stay well above the salary cap line is part of the big market team model these days.



BTW here is LC's original post - just kidding guy, too funny to pass up.

To Toronto for Gay and DeRozan.  Toronto would want picks as part of that deal.  I am pretty hardcore anti-Gay, so I wouldn't do that deal if I were the Celtics and had Amare, but it would make sense with the idea of the new Raptors GM clearing the decks of all the bad deals from the previous regime while trying to stockpile assets.

[Rondohara]

I think the team could theoretically contend by next season if we have a year of Rondo healing and young players developing, use the MLE or a trade exception to get a sixth man scoring wing, and then miraculously find a top five center suddenly available for a package of Bass (expiring), Bogans (unguaranteed), maybe Lee, some firsts, and possibly having to throw in either Olynyk or Faverani (if AInge holds the line on keeping Sullinger).  Or maybe Green for a center of the caliber of Omer Asik and use that package to get an All-Star level small forward.

It's unlikely, but it's not impossible.  Trades like that do happen, but they are sometimes unpredictable.  I'd like for Ainge to work the phones and wait to see if any teams get frustrated and decide to blow things up and tank for the next two drafts.

That's pretty much impossible  . And we would hardly contend. We would have to give up way more (the youngs and the draft picks) in order to get the players needed for contention.

Wallace and Humph for Stat doesn't seem too great,(it makes sense for 2015) but unloading Lee together seems great for us. However the Knicks will probably want something else back, so no deal unless Ainge have some strong "thought" for that summer.

[chambers]

Forget Shumpert.

Just trade Wallace and Hump for Amare and call it a day.  It's just a salary swap.

Lee has 3 years on his deal too... if you can include him for a 2 year deal, you do that as well.

Pretty much my train of thought.

I'm waiting for the next train.

Sacrificing roster flexibility and payroll space for 2014-15 to save $10 mil in 2015-16 just doesn't seem worth it to me. Especially when you're basically telling Rondo you're burning up another year of his prime.

But lets say the plan is to stink it up next season. I repeat IF the front office plan is to develop young guys and use the draft to make us better, then having Amare obviously helps instead of 10 million+ Wallace isn't it?

The other argument that goes along the same lines as yours means we have enough room for 2 max free agents PLUS Rondo's new deal when Rondo hits free agency...essentially having enough room for a new big 3.

What's interesting is if Danny did pull the trigger on a deal like this, we'd then be able to see into the future a little clearer as far as his 5 year plan for the franchise.

Personally I'd do Stat+Shumpert+ 2nd rd pick for Wallace + Hump instantly.

[LooseCannon]

What's interesting is if Danny did pull the trigger on a deal like this, we'd then be able to see into the future a little clearer as far as his 5 year plan for the franchise.

I tend to believe Ainge prefers plans which don't commit the team to a single course of action that far in advance.  I think if Rondo's injury had been something where he would have been 100% before training camp, Ainge might have held off on going in a rebuilding direction until he assessed the free agent and trade market.