Forget Asik, bring the financial flexibility! BOS-NYK-PHI

[aporel#18]

Ok, so we didn't get Asik, big deal. It's time for Danny to put together the pieces to a fast rebuild. Get rid of long term money, hold on the picks and gain some flexibility. Get some cap`space to make the Pierce TPE a viable option as trade asset in the near future.

Obviously, a 3-team trade involving so many pieces is not an easy thing. But here's an idea:

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=q3l35l5

BOS sends Crawford+Lee+Bass+Wallace to NYK, Humphries to PHI
BOS gets Stoudamire+Shumpert+2018 first from NYK, JRich+BKN 2014 second rounder from PHI

NYK sends Stoudamire+Shumpert+2018 pick to BOS, Udrih+Murry to PHI
NYK gets Crawford+Lee+Bass+Wallace from BOS

PHI sends JRich+BKN pick to BOS
PHI gets Humphries from BOS, Udrih+Murry from NYK

Why for NYK: Get rid of Stoudamire and Udrih, send Murry and Shumpert but keep their best prospect in THJr. They get 4 rotation players, who would get minutes from the get go. Wallace's contract is awful, but Stat's is worse, so the future pick (unprotected or top-3 protected) would be a fair compensation.

Why for PHI: Get rid of JRich's second year. Gain some salary floor in Hump and Udrih, plus a young prospect in Murry. The BKN pick won't be that good when all is said and done, the financial advantages make it worth.

Why for BOS: While giving up the best players in the trade (Crawesome, Bass, Lee... even Wallace and Hump), Celtics get two main advantages from this trade: more picks and financial flexibility. The NYK pick could be even top-8 protected in 2018 and top-3 in 2019 or something like that, you never know what could happen but in 5-6 years it would feel like found money. The BKN pick could be useful.
Shumpert may or may not be great, right now his perceived value seems at his lowest. Then, there's 6.3M savings this season, plus 3rd years in Wallace and Lee's contracts. That cap room would allow the Cs to get players like T-Will, or call-ups from the D-League making rookie minimum. And you'd still have Bogans to trade for more salary relief, maybe enough to use the Pierce TPE.

Rondo/(T-Will)/Pressey
Bradley/Shumpert/Brooks
Green/Bogans/JRich
Sully/Stat/(?)
Klynyk/Fav/(?)


As you see, this trade would make the Celtics worse right now, but could help in developing the young kids. And next season, damaged goods Amare StoudaRatliff and JRich could help in getting a big trade done.

[slamtheking]

the 'need' for salary relief is an illusion.  Bogans, Brooks, Crawford, Hump and AB all can come off the books for next year.  that's a lot of cash.  I can see Danny resigning either Crawford or Bradley but not both. 

Bass becomes an expiring deal next year and Lee and Wallace are only signed for 2 more each.  More money rolling off the payroll to resign the young players we want to keep.

We don't figure to be good enough to be attractive to elite FAs after this year or even the next probably so no 'need' to dump salaries now.  when Rondo is fit and the young guys have developed, we'll be in solid financial position to sign the missing pieces should they be available as FAs which in and of itself is far from a guarantee.  Most top players will resign with their original clubs for the most money possible.  Only ones that are most likely in collusion will change teams to set up their own contender.

[guava_wrench]

Would the Knicks give up a first rounder for that package? Those players aren't going to make a difference. If they aren't going to make a difference, then they aren't going to help keep Melo -- making the 2018 pick extremely valuable if Melo leaves. If Melo doesn't leave, than what was the point of the desperation trade?

[Celtics4ever]

As it was ably stated we don't need the cash so why help NYC?

[aporel#18]

The idea of making such a trade is getting flexibility now and next season, in order to trade for the next Celtic star.

We're not a big FA destination, and cap space + picks are good assets if they're used properly. It's more likely for the Cs to get a star by trade than in FA. JRich+Stat will combine for 28M expiring contracts, but cleaning 6M from the books could also open the July 10th-12th window to send the Pierce TPE if Bogans was let go.

Yes, we would be helping the Knicks, but most of all, helping our rebuilding. Right now, if this trade went through, the BKN 2nd rounder would give us the 37th pick. I expect that to change, more like the 45th-50th. It's still early, but if you can take a kid like McGary, Austin or even LeBryan Nash, why not?

The other part is developing the kids, which could lead to more losses and a better draft pick, as an added bonus. This trade is probably too big to happen, but after the Knicks ugly loss on national TV, they could try to avoid giving the Nuggets a lottery pick. They might make a desperate move, and Ainge could reap the benefits.

[BleedGreen1989]

the 'need' for salary relief is an illusion.  Bogans, Brooks, Crawford, Hump and AB all can come off the books for next year.  that's a lot of cash.  I can see Danny resigning either Crawford or Bradley but not both. 

Bass becomes an expiring deal next year and Lee and Wallace are only signed for 2 more each.  More money rolling off the payroll to resign the young players we want to keep.

We don't figure to be good enough to be attractive to elite FAs after this year or even the next probably so no 'need' to dump salaries now.  when Rondo is fit and the young guys have developed, we'll be in solid financial position to sign the missing pieces should they be available as FAs which in and of itself is far from a guarantee.  Most top players will resign with their original clubs for the most money possible.  Only ones that are most likely in collusion will change teams to set up their own contender.

This.

All this hooblah over cap space is overrated right now. No need for money to spend this summer.

Also, New York is not trading a 1st round pick AND taking on Wallace.