Pure speculation. But I believe this scenario would develop if we were to luck out and win the lottery, meaning we have the #1 pick netting us the rights to Ben Simmons. I know Danny Ainge goes through every possible scenario and i'm sure that this possibility has crossed his mind.
Let me paint the picture for you:
The Boston Celtics finish the season going 30-10 in the last 40 games. We're the number 3 seed. As of today the number 3 seed would face the Miami Heat in the first round. The Celtics make it to the ECF and give the Cavs a run for their money.
Brad Steven wins coach of the year.
The Sacramento Kings fall just short of making the playoffs, another disappointing finish. They have an encouraging year, however they go into the offseason not knowing if Rajon Rondo will return for another season.
Celtics fan's disappointment from the loss to the Cavs in the eastern conference finals is quickly was away by the elation of winning the lottery, netting them this years prodigy du jour Ben Simmons.
The Celtics are now the talk of the town. And while Lebron is technically still the king of the east folks can't help but speculate that it won't be long until the Celtics return to usurp him. Let's go over the resume at this point:
- The Celtics have a fresh new All-Star in Isaiah Thomas.
- Young players Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk each show off how their games have developed in an extended playoff run.
- A coach of the year in Brad Stevens. Whose pace and space offense coupled with exceptional team defense has the same good qualities of the teams you want to be right now. Golden State and San Antonio.
- The #1 pick, Ben Simmons.
- 2 additional Nets Picks along with plenty of smaller assets.
- As much cap space as you'll need
Sure there's a big fish in the years draft. But there is also one available in free agency who doesn't get talked about much around this site. It might not have seemed like a real possibility earlier in the year, but as circumstance unfold we've become a highly intriguing free agent destination.
I'm talking about Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant wants to be on a championship team. He could be interested in a change of scenery as the current cast of characters in Oklahoma City have proven again to not have enough in them to win a championship. It may be unfair, by the feeling seems to be that the Thunder have peeked. It doesn't help that the Golden State Warriors seem to have point together a team so strong that it feels as though to stand any chance against them you'll have to be great.
So Durant will sit there this offseason and be looking for a situation where greatness is possible. I strongly feel that the Boston Celtics will be the destination that stands out from the rest. The biggest reason will be Brad Stevens, the hottest young coach in the league who seems to get more out his teams than any coach not named Popovich.
The other big reason that will entice Durant is that no other team has a greater capacity to acquire talent to pair with Durant via trade. This is significant because every team will have cap space this summer, including the Celtics. But the treasure chest of assets will give Danny Ainge access to a pool of players that other teams can't touch. It doesn't hurt from a negotiating stand that the Celtics have been able to find this success without yet turning the assets into anything.
If your really looking around as a free agent, the Celtics are the situation you want to get in on. This is like Microsoft stock in its early days or creating a social media platform in the mid- 2000s. You either get in on the party or it's going to happen with out you.
I think that we have the potential to stand out to Kevin Durant even is we end up with the #3 or later. But if ping pong ball grant us Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram here is an offer Danny Ainge can put of the table. A new Big 3:
Isaiah Thomas
Kevin Durant
Demarcus Cousins
The only way we can convince Sacramento to part with Cousins this offseason is if we can offer a prospect like Ben Simmons, and possibly if it was Ingram instead. It mind be difficult for Divac and ownership to part with Cousins as he blossoms into super star form. However, few could argue that there could ever be a better chance to sell high on Cousins. He is coming off his best year while on his best behavior and teams trading for him know that with a couple years remaining on his contract they'd have to blow the Kings away with an offer.
If they were offered Ben Simmons for Cousins they'd have to face the fact that they would never get a better offer for Cousins. They would have a wider window to build around a top talent and they would get other assets to put it into motion. Here's the offer:
Celtics acquire:
Demarcus Cousins
Kings acquire:
Ben Simmons
#18 overall (Mavericks)
2017 or 2018 Nets Pick (Their Choice)
#31 overall
#35 overall
201??? Memphis First Rounder
Terry Rozier
James Young
Amir Johnson (non-guarnteed, cap space)
It's a lot to offer. The Kings would probably ask for more at first. Namely insisting that Crowder or Smart be included. But those two players are so ingrained within the identity of team that Ainge would do anything he could to keep them out of the deal.
The Kings can play hard ball, but I think they'll also know that if they let Ben Simmons start his career in a Celtics uniform that Boston may just decide to keep him. Which is why I think we'd have enough leverage to keep our current core out of the deal.
This was one form of the trade that I came up with, i'm open to other suggestions and opinions about what the trade would have to look like. But the smaller a parts are not as important as this question; Would you trade Ben Simmons for Demarcus Cousins?
If my trade scenario were the one to manifest the team would look like this without any additional moves:
Starting Lineup:
Isaiah Thomas
Avery Bradley
Kevin Durant
Jae Crowder
Demarcus Cousins
Bench Unit:
Marcus Smart
Kelly Olynyk
Jonas Jerebko
Evan Turner (If re-signed)
Jared Sullinger (If re-signed)
Jordan Mickey
RJ Hunter
This scenario is an illustration of why Danny Ainge may want to stand pat at the trade deadline if players like Horford and Griffin are going to cost them some of their best assets. It may be better to stay patient and wait to find the right fit. This team, as it currently stands, has tremendous chemistry and it may be better if we didn't disrupt the rotations we have.
Thoughts?
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Topic: Danny Ainge's Plan if We Win The Lottery (Poll Added) (Read 4966 times)