Recently dream starting lineups for 2014-15 were discussed in this thread:
http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=69603.0 Below is my extensive answer.
I think the Celtics can begin their next dynasty as soon as this summer. Current gossip pegs the Celtics as buyers not next year, but in the summer of 2015. I believe they can get the process underway much earlier. Here's how:
2013-14 trade deadline moves:Trade Jeff Green to ATL for Elton Brand, DeMarre Carroll, and 2015/2017 BKN second round picks:
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=pone5d4Trade Brandon Bass, Kris Humphries and the 2014/15 PHI first rounder/2016+ PHI second rounders for Emeka Okafor and Miles Plumlee:
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=kg2mjq3This gets us worse immediately. We conclude the season with the league's fourth worst record (a conservative estimate, IMO, especially if Bradley's injuries persist). Let's be conservative again and assume that we a) get the fourth pick and not a higher one and b) we need the second pick to select Andrew Wiggins.
2014 NBA Draft moves:
Trade 2014 fourth pick, 2014 18th pick (what we're owed by Brooklyn as of right now) and 2015/2017 BKN second rounders (from ATL) for the 2014 second pick (as you can guess by the theme, a
very conservative trade proposal by my estimations).
Select Andrew Wiggins, sign for 3 yrs (he can opt out after)/$13 million (roughly).
2014 Summer Off-Season moves:Allow Elton Brand ($4 million), Emeka Okafor ($14,487,500) and Avery Bradley ($2,511,432) to expire. Waive Keith Bogans ($5,058,198). This would put our salary hold at $39,211,014 with a $62,100,000 salary cap for next year, giving us $22,888,986 to work with.
Keep Vitor Faverani and Phil Pressey. Bring over Colton Iverson (who will be payed roughly $820,000).
Re-sign Jerryd Bayless for 2 yrs/$6,270,000 (conservative total dollar amount).
Sign Lance Stephenson to 4yrs/$48 million (roughly, and conservative as well in total dollar amount -- remember Rondo only got an average of $11 million!).
Sign Thabo Sefolosha to 3 yrs/$10.5 million (roughly, and conservative in both years extended and total dollar amount).
This leaves us with a roughly $59.6 million dollar salary hold in 2015, giving us a couple million to work throughout the season.
2014-15 rosterRondo/Bayless/Pressey
Stephenson/Sefolosha/[Bayless]
Wiggins/Wallace/Carroll
Sullinger/Olynyk/[Plumlee]
Plumlee/Faverani/Iverson/AnthonyConcerns: Shooting. My counterargument to that point: Rondo looks to have improved his shot and Stephenson has done the same. Wiggins looks to have, at worst, a steady shot; he's shooting at a decent clip both from two and from three. Two reasons to be optimistic about his efficiency: a) he's recently become more aggressive and generally that leads to lesser efficiency. This should improve as he becomes comfortable with his role as alpha dog; b) he's very young. Generally young stars improve in the areas they're expected to excel in.
2015 cap flexibility. The Celts are apparently very intrigued with the 2015 free agent class. Of course, this would all change if we were able to put together the team I've constructed above, but for some this still may be a concern. We'd still head into that offseason with, I think, at least five million, but I could be wrong. We wouldn't have a lot of space to sign non-Celtic free agents but we'd have enough to sign Rondo to a max contract and still be below the luxury tax line.
Final comments: At least in my opinion, all of my proposals were done conservatively (if you didn't get that already). Getting the second pick and selecting Wiggins is very much in the realm of possibility. Getting the third pick and selecting Wiggins is even more so in the realm of possibility. We could end up not having to give Stephenson a $12 mil per year average. And on, and on, and on. Still, my conservative plan works by my calculations, though I could be wrong, with enough room to lock up Rondo in 2015.
Topic: My dream Celtics roster for 2014-15 (Read 8712 times)