So . . . I'm kinda goin' a little nuts waiting for May 20th. So many potential future scenarios for our Boston Celtics. I just want to have a clearer idea of what's in store! Some good ideas being batted around by my fellow posters on the forums these days. Some not so good ideas (in my opinion).
Here's my stab at a set of off-season events that would leave me feeling pretty satisfied with the direction of the team headed into next season. It's kind of a combination of some ideas I've seen around here, plus one or two of my own.
Premise(s): Celtics end up with the #5 pick in the draft. Lakers end up with the #6.
Step 1:
On draft day / night, trade Rondo to the Lakers for Steve Nash's expiring contract, Kendall Marshall, and the #6 pick (Nash will retire following a buyout agreement).
Step 2:
Also on draft day, trade Keith Bogans and Joel Anthony for Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik, and the #25 pick. Use a chunk of the Pierce Trade Exception to absorb Lin / Asik (either one). Houston would do this if they felt they had a chance at signing Carmelo Anthony and needed to clear cap space to do so.
Nothing like helping yourself and helping to move the star player of a division rival out of the conference at the same time!
Step 3:
With the #5 pick, take Exum if he is available, or else take Marcus Smart. With the next pick, take Aaron Gordon. Later in the 1st round, package the #17 pick and the #25 pick to move up into the late lottery. Potential trade partners include Orlando and Denver (likely to be sitting at #11 and #12). Use the resulting pick on Jusuf Nurkic.
That's quite a flurry of moves on draft day, but it doesn't seem so far-fetched to me.
Step 4:
When Avery Bradley gets an offer close to 4 years / $30 million in free agency, let him walk. Make an offer to Jodie Meeks for 3 years / $15 million. Go as high as 3 years / $18 million. That should be sufficient.
Meeks is a similar player to Bradley, except that he takes a large chunk of his shots from behind the arc, rather than deep in 2-point territory. As a result, he's a much more efficient offensive player with more high-scoring-performance potential. He also has fewer injury concerns. His defense is not on the same level, but it's decent.
Step 5:
Trade Bass and Vitor Faverani to a team with cap space that could use some depth at the big man spots. Atlanta seems a likely partner -- Brand could retire or move on to a true contender this summer and Pero Antic is already kind of old. Vitor would be a worthwhile pickup for cheap, and Bass could be a solid replacement for Brand and / or Mike Scott without taking up future cap space.
These moves would result in the following depth chart:
Lin / Marshall / Pressey
Meeks / Smart* / Babb
Green / Johnson / Wallace
Sullinger / Gordon
Asik / Olynyk / Nurkic
*or Exum
Analysis
- That team is more balanced by far than last year's team. Asik is the defensive anchor that has been missing, and the other four members of the starting lineup can hit the three. Meeks in particular is a deadeye.
This would not be an especially good team, but they could be more consistently competitive, and it would give Stevens more logical pieces with which to formulate an actual offensive and defensive system, instead of odds and ends.
- There's lots of young talent on the bench. Lots. But having guys like Lin, Meeks, Green, and Asik playing in front of them means playing time will need to be earned, and players won't be forced into roles they aren't ready to play. Any of the aforementioned players could transition to a bench role if necessary, also.
This ensures that Gordon won't be playing 30+ minutes at SF, a position he probably doesn't know how to play at the NBA level yet, and even more importantly, it means Smart won't be forced to become a full-time NBA point guard right off the bat.
- The contracts are set up pretty nicely. Lin and Asik expire after next season, though neither should be unreasonably expensive to retain if the team should so choose. Furthermore, Jeff Green will probably not exercise his player option for the fourth year of his deal, so that means he'll probably expire after next season, too. Point being: future cap flexibility is maintained under this plan.
- This is obviously not as exciting as trading a mountain of assets for Kevin Love. Not ending up with Wiggins, Parker, or Embiid would also be a bummer. You can only work with what you've got, though, and Kevin Love may not be available, and the Celtics probably won't get a top 3 pick (that's just the odds).
This scenario also involves trading away our current best player who is the only thing close to an established star on the roster.
However, there's a very real possibility that Rondo leaves the Celtics next season to go join a team that's ready to compete for a championship in the short term. He could very well join the Lakers, in fact (he and Kobe have admitted deep admiration and respect for one another on multiple occasions). A top 6 pick in this draft (plus a cheap backup point guard who may or may not be better than Pressey) is a great return for a player like Rondo.
Thoughts? Love? Hate? Any of the steps / moves that you liked despite not being so keen on some of the others? How would you feel about watching the resulting team?
