Hi all,

If the Ainge wants to move up, do you think the Knicks would consider trading #4 to Boston in return for Bradley, Sully and #16?

Why Boston may consider it
Sully is on the last year of his contract and is likely to walk at the end of the season if he isn't offered a max contract extension.  Danny didn't feel Rondo was worth the max (good call, in hindsight) so I seriously doubt he'd offer that to Sully.  That leads me to believe that Ainge will look to move Sully at some point between now and the 2015-16 trade deadline.  The Knicks current PF rotation (Thomas, Admundson and Acy) is woeful at best, and Melo was their leading rebounder last year at 6.6 RPG.  They are desperate for a starting calibre PF and a capable rebounder, and Sully fits both roles to perfection.

It's now common knowledge that Danny has invited Thomas to have some input on which free agents Boston goes after, and also to take part in the recruiting process.  In my eyes, this is a strong indication that Danny see's IT as a big part of the Celtics future, because I can't see Thomas getting so excited if Danny's presented offer was "you can be our 6th man for the next 2-3 years".  This may well suggest that DA intents to build around IT and Smart as the back-court of the future, but where would that leave Bradley?  I don't see the Celtics disrespecting Bradley by demoting him to a bench role (he's been their starter for 3+ seasons now) and think the more likely scenario is that they try to move him to a team that can offer him a starting role.   The Knicks would make sense, because Bradley's ability to '3 and D' is exactly what the Knicks need alongside Melo.   

has been all over the news lately, reaching out to potential free agents and telling everybody that Ainge wants him to give them feedback about which free agents to sign.  Seems to indicate that Boston foresee Thomas as a big part of there future, and may see him as more than just "6th man for the next 2-3 years".  We all know that Boston staff are in love with Smart, so there's a solid chance that Boston sees Thomas and Smart as their back court of the future - that could leave Bradley in a difficult position. 

It's no secret that #16 is on the trade block and that Ainge wants to move up in to the lottery, which suggests that he may not see anybody up around #16 that he really likes. 

Put all this together and it starts to look increasingly likely that Sully, Bradley and #16 could all be potentially on the trading block if the right deal presents itself.

Danny has been known to be very pretty ruthless when going after somebody he really likes, so if he sees somebody he really likes that is likely to drafted in the top 8 (e.g. Stanley Johnson or WCS) then trading for #4 is a safe way to lock that guy in.


Why the Knicks may consider it
It's been reported multiple times that the Knicks have their eye on Okafor with their #4 pick, and that he's gone they will look to trade the pick and get additional assets.

The Knicks have a pretty barren roster and a dormant superstar (Melo) who obviously wants to win now.  Adding Bradley AND Sullinger gives Boston a pretty huge upgrade at both SG and PF spots.  With Bradley, Melo, Sully, #16 and the cap space to add two max contract free agents, the Knicks find themselves in a very strong position this offseason. 

Phoenix are supposedly offering Bledsoe + #13, but given how bare their roster is right now, I think that adding two 'good' players (in Bradley + Sully) is more valuable to the Knicks than a single 'very good' player (Bledsoe).

Thoughts?