Saturday, February 1, 2014

Potential Celtics Trades (January, 2013)

This is the third installment of "Potential Trades" done by Posts from the Parquet. The first two were written by Ankit Mehra; you can read those here and here

The Celtics are in unofficial full tanking mode, so Danny Ainge probably isn't looking to improve Boston through trades. In other words, the only trades he would possibly make are for future assets like picks or expiring contracts. Here are some trades that may fit that description. Thank you to ESPN's NBA Trade Machine. 


Although this trade makes the Celtics substantially worse for this season, it can be monumental for the future. Danny Granger's 14 million dollar expiring contract would clear loads of cap space for the Celtics who are looking to rebuild through free agency and the draft. The cap space would give them the type of flexibility that Danny Ainge would want to have. Additionally, the Celtics would demand a draft pick of some sort from Indiana. 

The trade makes sense for the Pacers because they have been publicly known to be unhappy with Granger, and Bass helps them get better now. The Pacers are trying to win the title this year, so they would probably be willing to take Wallace if they also get Bass to help them on the road to the Finals. 


This trade is very good for the Celtics because it both improves them for this season and the future. Thaddeus Young as expressed that he wants out of Philly, so the 76ers would ship him and Hawes to Boston for Jeff Green. Hawes is the key to this transaction because he would provide a true center to Boston and he's a nice expiring contract. Young can be a complimentary piece to a Boston team that likes to run. He can play both small and power forward and defend both positions relatively well. 

Philly would like Green's athleticism and perimeter shooting to go along with MCW, Evan Turner, and the crew. He would fit well into their young system.


Three team trades get a bit hectic on the Trade Machine, but this one is interesting. The Celtics acquire Austin Rivers, a young, athletic guard with loads of potential, who the Pelicans don't use. They also receive Asik from the Rockets, who has been riding the bench for the whole season because of Dwight Howard. The Celtics would then have a true center who can be a presence down low on defense and can grab 15 boards per game. They are getting rid of Avery Bradley, who is going to leave in free agency anyway, Jeff Green, and Brandon Bass. Boston would also probably make sure they get some sort of draft pick from either team. 

This trade works for Houston because even though they are happy with Terrence Jones' improvement at the four position, they would love to reunite Ryan Anderson with Dwight Howard. They were teammates in Orlando and made a run together all the way to the Finals in 2009. That Magic team played through Dwight in the post and surrounded him with excellent perimeter shooters. If the Rockets can replicate that with superior players like James Harden, they would have a fighter's chance at making a run at the title. They would also greatly benefit from the perimeter defense of Avery Bradley. 

This trade works only works if the Pelicans are involved. They give up Rivers and Anderson for Jeff Green and Brandon Bass. The Pelicans would improve because they would be happy with the perimeter shooting of Jeff Green, but more importantly, need a physical big man to play with Anthony Davis. Brandon Bass is just that. Bass has proved to be Mr Consistent in Boston, 11 and 6 this year for Boston. He would be a big upgrade to playing Anthony Davis at the power forward position and starting Greg Stiemsma. Bass and Green both provide playoff experience to a very young New Orleans team that is VERY guard-heavy. 


There has been a common theme with these trades; the Celtics are either trying to get a true center or future assets. In this case, they could get both. Okafor would solidify the center position for Boston while also having a Danny Granger-like contract. The Celtics are dying to get rid of Wallace because of his menacing 3 year-10 million dollar contract, and they would do just that in this trade. 

This trade is unlikely to go through because I doubt the Suns would trade away his contract because of their cap situation. But, the Suns are very confident and comfortable with their current front court status even without Okafor. They love both Morris brothers and have gotten excellent production from Len and Plumlee. They also are looking to improve their small forward depth because after a Gerald Green in permanent eff you mode because of all the teams that released or traded him, they don't have much. It's even worse now that Eric Bledsoe is hurt because Green is forced to play shooting guard and PJ Tucker starts at the 3. 
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If you have any trades that you would like to see the Celtics make, or if you have a problem with any of the potential trades above, please contact us! Thank you.
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