What are our needs and who can we realistically acquire?

[Joe Green]

Omer Asik is a better defender than Jordan and an equivalent rebounder and is an elite defender against the pick and roll.

Restricted free agent Khris Middleton is a 3 and D SF who can guard multiple positions.

Good call on Middleton. Just read an article about his rise on Jason Kidd's system. http://www.brewhoop.com/2015/3/4/8131159/khris-middleton-worth-restricted-free-agency Seems legit, how much would he demand though?

Yep, Middleton's advanced stats are great. In addition to Asik, we should consider Alexis Anjinca. He is a poor man's Gobert (amazingly long but not as mobile) and clogs up the paint.

It is nice to think about Gasol and Leonard but I don't see us getting ANY max player. They are getting paid to stay in a team they love and is winning.

I like the team ball we are playing, and we do not need another usage heavy player since we have IT. I believe we sign solid FA and draft high upside players like Young. We will bust out on most of them, but we only need to find one great player in the draft, and we have 16 chances over the next 4 years...

[knuckleballer]

Leonard would be my number 1 target this offseason.

Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili aren't getting any younger.  Even Popovich is 66 so who knows how much longer he'll coach for.

Maybe Leonard won't be interested in signing with an aging team, but will be interested in signing with a young team with their best years ahead of them.  Or maybe I'm just being too hopeful.

WCS would be a great get with our draft pick.

 Add those two to our roster and I would be more than excited for next season.  And we'd still have a slew of draft picks coming our way to continue adding to the team.

[konkmv]

Sf and c are our needs... if you overpay them you could get harris or monroe

[Hemingway]

As long as we get some other talent, I don't see why Pierce wouldn't take his starting 3 spot back.

[krumeto]

Depending on who we draft, I'd throw in Kosta Koufus as a free agent target.

Not a big name, but a very good defender and rim protector. Not an offensive liability. Might be well cheaper than Monroe, etc..

I really don't know what to do with the draft. We have a full rotation of average players requiring 15-25 minutes a night. No way we add 4 rookies. I guess Ainge will try to move-up to max. 2 players with a combo of players and picks.

I'd dangle Sully+picks come draft time and see what talent it might get us back. Would it be enough for Orlando? For example:

Sully+10th pick for 5th pick (draft Johnson)?
or
Sully+10th pick + 2nd rounder for Aaron Gordon?

[mctyson]

Like you, I see WCS as a solution to several of those.

Not a big Draymond Green guy. I think he's an excellent glue guy or a third or fourth best guy on a team, but I don't see him carrying any load. Really don't see him as a max player either

Right now Draymond Green might be the best defensive player in the NBA.

[mctyson]

I think when rebuilding after a fire, it's best to have the foundation first before you start picking out appliances.

Our foundation right now is pretty much non-existent. We're basically a garage sale and using the profits from that we're either going to rebuild from the ground up or buy a nice starter home.

I guess what I'm saying is Talent, Talent, Talent. Don't care what they do as long as they're the best talent we can get at the best value we can manage.

I agree with this, but specific talents would be more useful with the players we currently have in place and the system we run.

Sure, talent trumps all but is there a huge difference between who we select and the picks before and after? If the talent isn't that different from pick to pick going with need makes more sense.

Teams like Atlanta and San Antonio in the past have showed fit can be more important than overall talent.

Mmm..have they?

If you look at the high-talent positions, Jeff Teague, drafted as BPA, Paul Millsap, nobody else wanted to pay him big money on a long-term deal so Atlanta offered a short one, but his numbers in Utah spoke for themselves pretty well. Horford obviously was the BPA at the time (nobody really believed noah would be the player he is today). Korver was a great get, but he was at most a 2nd tier free agent.

The Spurs are kind of the new 2004 Pistons in that they're the team every franchise that doesn't have a superstar but isn't obviously tanking holds up as their "we could be them" team, but the Spurs aren't the Spurs without Tim Duncan, and he's the type (obviously we're not going to get a Tim Duncan) of player we don't have. We don't have a can't miss or is already here flagship talent.

I guess what I'm saying is that we have no Al Horford, no Paul Millsap. Smart is out best valued "asset" outside of our picks, and he's a great piece to have but he's still got a long way to go to deliver on the promise he showed 2 years ago. We've got a bunch of guys Ainge wouldn't mind moving outside of probably Smart. Really if there was a true franchise talent or building block available, I don't have any issue with who we take. We need a flagship talent. Everything else is just musical chairs til we get that.

Atlanta is nowhere today without Teague.  Is Teague a "flagship" talent?

How about Klay Thompson and Draymond Green?  Does having Steph Curry on the same team make Klay a flagship talent, or is he one no matter where he plays?  Is he the same player if he was traded to Minnesota for Kevin Love?

Kawhi Leonard - is he a flagship talent on the Knicks right now?  If Harden was still on OKC, would he be the leading MVP candidate?

I agree that All-Stars are necessary win championships, and even the 2004 Detroit Pistons had those kind of players. But disregarding fit is wrong - it can bring out the best in all players. 

The Celtics need to find the best players who fit this team.

[Neurotic Guy]

I think when rebuilding after a fire, it's best to have the foundation first before you start picking out appliances.

Our foundation right now is pretty much non-existent. We're basically a garage sale and using the profits from that we're either going to rebuild from the ground up or buy a nice starter home.

I guess what I'm saying is Talent, Talent, Talent. Don't care what they do as long as they're the best talent we can get at the best value we can manage.

This is so spot on that I'll refrain from my typical 'more verbose than necessary' posting style and just say -- this is 100% correct (OK still MVTN).

[Celtics4ever]

I would love to see us get an athletic big that can compensate for Sully and KO on D.  Whether this is realistic or not I do not know but WCS fits the bill.   I am not sure he fits CBS offense though.  I would try to get Jordan this year.  I think we need another shooter at the wing.   Sorry but ET and Crowder is not cutting it for me.    I think Leonard will take less cash to stay in SA.   But he would be great.

, I'd throw in Kosta Koufus as a free agent target.

  I just puked in my mouth, reading this suggestion.

Sully+10th pick + 2nd rounder for Aaron Gordon?

  I would relish the chance to replace Sully with an athlete but I think they would hang up at this suggestion.   

[Hemingway]

We need more talent all over the place. I'd throw max deals at everyone good and see if anyone bites first. Then I'd look at doing deals where you overpay for a one year deal with a team option for the second. The idea is that the player wants to take the risk that they can get more when the new TV deal comes in. For us it gives us another chip to trade.

For example if we cant get a legit star why not offer Monroe a few mil more than his other deals for a 1 year deal. We can trade him midseason if we want or at least trade Sully easier. If he has a break out year we have a team option and now its a good deal. But a player would be pretty foolish to not sign for as many years as possible because injuries happen, cash in when you can especially if you do not come from wealth.

Plan C is just to play money ball and get what we can for cheap. Not terrible. We still have cap room and flexibility to make a big trade when a star wants to change teams.

[krumeto]

, I'd throw in Kosta Koufus as a free agent target.

  I just puked in my mouth, reading this suggestion.

Obviously not a Nr. 1 target and I also stated it depends on who we draft but how would you use the cool verb "puke" if you actually read.

Deandre, Gasol, etc.. is daydreaming. Just not happening. Would be great, but I doubt it.

Koufos on the other hand would be our best defensive big by huge margin and would be comparably cheap. Again, not ideal, but (in OP Yenohb's game terms) a significant upgrade at 1) and somewhat of an upgrade at 5).

[crimson_stallion]

My ultimate solution would be to draft WCS and sign Monroe. 

I think that frontcourt would be a match made in heaven - Monroe's offense and rebounding combined with WCS's defence and athleticism. 

I can dream, right? 

[crimson_stallion]

Sully+10th pick + 2nd rounder for Aaron Gordon?

Oh HELL no!!

No Aaron Gordon anywhere near Boston, please. 

[TheTruthFot18]

Sf and c are our needs... if you overpay them you could get harris or monroe

1. Draft WCS, sign Harris
2. Draft S. Johnson/ Winslow/ Looney/ Oubre, sign Monroe or Hibbert.

Personally the only two guys I want to draft are WCS and Johnson. If we draft higher and miss Johnson then we get WCS. I like Harris and Middleton especially considering our needs but I feel they will command too much (4/$60 or something like Gordan Hayward).

[TheTruthFot18]

My ultimate solution would be to draft WCS and sign Monroe. 

I think that frontcourt would be a match made in heaven - Monroe's offense and rebounding combined with WCS's defence and athleticism. 

I can dream, right? 

For CB that is certainly not an impossible scenario.

Trade Sully and any of ET, future 1st's for a SF and...

Smart, I. Thomas
AB, Young
SF, Crowder
Monroe, KO
WCS, Zeller