Prediction: Danny Ainge is going to trade Paul Pierce

[Tai]

You cant get much for Pierce right now.
But one prospect i seem to like is Derrick Williams from Minnesota. Great replacement. But nowhere near Pierce.
We should trade Ray for Kmart (Houston)

We coulda done K-Mart for Ray two seasons ago. Didn't happen. Why do it now?

[LooseCannon]

I think a more logical trade involves Pierce to Dallas, two out of Heywood/Odom/Marion being absorbed by Boston's cap space, and the Celtics getting compensated with Dominique Jones and Roddy Beaubois (plus a draft pick?), while Dallas maybe clears enough cap space to add Dwight Howard or Deron Williams.

Huh? Pierce and Dirk would eat enough of the cap combined to shoot the dreams of Deron/Howard down.

Pierce makes 16, Dirk makes around 20 right? That is enough to take them down to a single high level FA right there.

There are actually scenarios out there for Dallas signing both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams that work.  They involve trading Odom and either Heywood or Marion and amnestying the one that isn't traded.

I'm just positing the scenario of the Mavs ending up with Howard/Pierce or Williams/Pierce instead of Howard/Williams.  (Note the use of the word "or".)

I don't think they have to trade Odom, his deal is only partially guarenteed. They need to buy him out, trade one of Marion/Haywood, and then amnesty the other.

So why would they give up assets to get Pierce instead of just trading Marion/Haywood to open up the two max salary slots? I don't see them having any issues moving Haywood or Marion to another team under the cap.

Only if Howard and/or Deron is already off the market would they move for Pierce, then it makes sense.

The theory is that they would trade the partially guaranteed contracts of Lamar Odom and Vince Carter (still guaranteed for a combined $4.4m next season) to other teams, who would then probably waive them.

I could see Howard or D-Will being off the market.  Howard could decide he values the extra $30m or whatever that only Orlando can give him.  There are suspicions that Daryl Morey wants to sell high on Kyle Lowry and sign Williams (who grew up in Texas).

Jones and Beaubois are assets that the Mavs might be expected to give away to grease the wheels of a salary dump of Odom/Marion/Haywood.  If, instead of clearing cap space to sign a superstar, they trade for a superstar already under contract, why not?

[Kane3387]

Houston seems like a natural fit.  A huge pile of substantial expiring rookie contracts (Thabeet, Flynn, Hill, T-Will, Dragic, Lee) and some other young guys, plus a pretty giant hole where a starting-quality SF should be.  Pierce would definitely elevate that team into a more serious playoff contender.  Their core (Lowry, Martin, Scola, Dalembert) would all be locked up for another year, as well, making it a smooth fit.

I'd actually suspect that Houston wants to move Martin and promote Courtney Lee as a starter in his place.  The other young guys are an unexciting bunch.

I think a more logical trade involves Pierce to Dallas, two out of Heywood/Odom/Marion being absorbed by Boston's cap space, and the Celtics getting compensated with Dominique Jones and Roddy Beaubois (plus a draft pick?), while Dallas maybe clears enough cap space to add Dwight Howard or Deron Williams.

That's an awful trade for the captain. We get two crappy contracts and two guys with "potential" that have been disappointing, are undersized SGs, and both need the ball. Dallas has some of the worst collection of assets in the NBA.

[Kane3387]

You cant get much for Pierce right now.
But one prospect i seem to like is Derrick Williams from Minnesota. Great replacement. But nowhere near Pierce.
We should trade Ray for Kmart (Houston)

We coulda done K-Mart for Ray two seasons ago. Didn't happen. Why do it now?

No we tried and they didn't want too. Boston was willing. Sacramento wasn't.

[Tai]

No, I believe Boston soured at it after some time.

Ok, anyways, while people are talking Lakers, Eric Pincus from Hoopsworld (yes, the same guy who broke that the C's were interested in Gasol) is having a live chat right now. Here's one thing that interested me.

Javier

Eric you’re Lakers GM what do you do with the TPE & two 1st round draft picks?

    Eric Pincus

    I’d be shopping Pau and reacting with the trade exception to fill in what isn’t gotten via Gasol. There’s no clear path yet. If the return on Gasol isn’t enough – if LA could get Beasley, that’s not a bad move. They just need a point guard in the worst way still .

So pretty much, Lakers still need a PG. So, they probably listen to a package involving Rondo for Gasol first before anything involving Pierce.

Anyways, if you wanna ask questions, here's the link:

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-chat-with-eric-pincus-22112

[action781]

Danny needs to make some kind of move.  If he can get serious quality youth prospects for any of our players, I'm ready (for the first time) to move them.  I'm not sure I see that happening though... the only thing I can come close to imagining is a Pierce-Gay deal where perhaps we also send some depth at another position like Bass.

If he can't get youth, then I feel that Danny NEEDS to make a move that helps us make one final push this season.  Pau?  Fine.  Finishing the season with this current roster is the last thing I want to happen.

I'm all for trading Rondo personally.  He is 26 tomorrow and how long does rebuilding take?  If it takes 5 years to reach the point of contention, then by the time we are contending, then this pg we are "building around" will be 31 years old... a 31 point point guard who's game is currently built around athleticism.     If he can develop a jump shot like J-Kidd has, then he could still be effective at that stage of his career.  But I don't have faith in that happening.

He could still be athletic at 31...Dwyane Wade is 30 and he is just as fast as ever.

Honestly, you can't look at someone who just turned 26 and say "Yeah but he'll be too old in 6 years when we are good again, so lets trade him." Seems silly.

Somewhat of a good point.  But Wade's game isn't built completely around athleticism.  We've seen games (e.g. Game (4?) in 2010) when his jumper is just on fire.  Rondo has never shown anything close to that.  Strength is also a big part of Wade's athleticism which helps him get to the line where he can knock down FT's at a respectable %.

And while Wade is 30, let's see where he is at age 31.  And age 32.  As it has been with every professional athlete we've ever seen, the decline of athleticism is about to begin.  Unless he has something supplementary helping him.  Players need to start adjusting their game.  And hopefully Rondo can do that, but if he doesn't, I don't see him playing at a high level too much longer past 32 or so.

[TheTruthFot18]

If you think about that way, having Pierce and Rondo for the next two years really makes no sense -- it improves your record, which worsens your position in the lottery -- and it wastes Pierce's last two years without getting anything back.

Rebuilding with Pierce and Rondo in the roster will be a faster return to contendership than turning the team into the Washington Wizards.

Yup. I'm not convinced by trade possibilities and FA options that this will be a simple transition. Rondo can turn more nash or parker like without the big three (at least KG and ray gone).

Add a quality big through FA next year is a much better fit with Pierce and Rondo still around.

[LooseCannon]

Houston seems like a natural fit.  A huge pile of substantial expiring rookie contracts (Thabeet, Flynn, Hill, T-Will, Dragic, Lee) and some other young guys, plus a pretty giant hole where a starting-quality SF should be.  Pierce would definitely elevate that team into a more serious playoff contender.  Their core (Lowry, Martin, Scola, Dalembert) would all be locked up for another year, as well, making it a smooth fit.

I'd actually suspect that Houston wants to move Martin and promote Courtney Lee as a starter in his place.  The other young guys are an unexciting bunch.

I think a more logical trade involves Pierce to Dallas, two out of Heywood/Odom/Marion being absorbed by Boston's cap space, and the Celtics getting compensated with Dominique Jones and Roddy Beaubois (plus a draft pick?), while Dallas maybe clears enough cap space to add Dwight Howard or Deron Williams.

That's an awful trade for the captain. We get two crappy contracts and two guys with "potential" that have been disappointing, are undersized SGs, and both need the ball. Dallas has some of the worst collection of assets in the NBA.

It's still better than any package of non-Lee young players from Houston.

[chambers]

Maybe send him to Utah for one of their early picks + Millsap or something.

Chicago would give us Deng+ their pick from the bobcats.

Would be great if we would move him plus our two first round picks for a higher spot in the draft.
Utah would work quite well as long as they didn't make the playoffs, and if they did get Pierce in March, they probably make the playoffs, so arggg.

Would the Nets take Pierce to play with Howard and Williams if we asked for their 2013 first rounder?

[Neurotic Guy]

Maybe send him to Utah for one of their early picks + Millsap or something.

Chicago would give us Deng+ their pick from the bobcats.

Would be great if we would move him plus our two first round picks for a higher spot in the draft.
Utah would work quite well as long as they didn't make the playoffs, and if they did get Pierce in March, they probably make the playoffs, so arggg.

Would the Nets take Pierce to play with Howard and Williams if we asked for their 2013 first rounder?

If DA could get Deng and Bobcat pick I hope he dives on that one.

[Celtics4ever]

I want no part of Gasol or any other Laker reject.

[Celtics Fan]

Ok. And why?..

[pearljammer10]

Pierce might be the most shopped but I cant see him anywhere but Green at this point in his career.

[CelticG1]

I never want Pierce traded unless he asked to be.

Don't really care if it sets us back a little.

Besides the obvious reasons for me not wanting to trade I really don't think we could get anything THAT enticing for him. We would have to get a significant package for him and I don't think a team would be willing to do that. Plus he still has 2 more years after this at pretty high money correct?

I also think people exagerate danny and him pulling the trigger way too much. People referencing the Perk deal and comparing it to Pierce is laughable. Not even close to the same thing. And just because Ainge said that he would have traded the old big three 20+ years ago in one interview does not mean that he is just going to trade Pierce just to prove to people that he was serious about making a "rational" decision like that.

I just don't seem him actively trying to trade Pierce to get some sort of even value for a guy thats MAYBE close to his value. Yeah if someone blows him away with an offer but he is not going to be begging a gm to take him for like Monta Ellis or something.

[LooseCannon]

I want no part of Gasol or any other Laker reject.

Did you puke at all when ex-Lakers Shaquille O'Neal and Von Wafer were on the roster last season?