http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=b4uuo79Drastic trade but trying to find a framework that is realistic and reasonably fair, yet Hollinger's projected wins clearly favor the Celtics (definitely don't agree with them though).
BOS sends Rondo, Sullinger
BOS receives Cousins, Lowry, Blake
Lowry is underrated. Blake provides another pure point guard as insurance for Lowry's health. Clearly we downgrade by trading Rondo but he continues to be an enigma, and like Rondo, Lowry is a bargain for his contract. Hate giving up Sullinger at this point, but given his athletic limitations and the fact that you have to give up something to get something, Cousins would be worth the upgrade in the front court. Trading Rondo would open more time for guys like Terry, Bradley, Lee, and even Barbosa. Terry would be allowed to handle the ball to create his shot a lot more. I think that the offense is sometimes stagnant because Rondo dominates the ball so much, and I just have a feeling this trade might lead to better ball movement/sharing, similar to what we saw tonight vs. the Knicks.
LAL sends Gasol, Jamison, Blake
LAL receives Bargnani, Evans
Let's face it, Howard and Gasol cannot co-exist. Acquiring Bargnani would be the perfect floor spacer to put next to Howard at the 4. Tyreke provides the athleticism the Lakers sorely need and can guard the 1-3. This is a steal of a deal for the Lakers, yet Hollinger's predictions on trade machine say -3?
SAC sends Cousins, Evans, Thomas
SAC receives Rondo, Ed Davis, Jamison
SAC gets an all-world PG to build around in Rondo. They get a supremely athletic, young 6'11" guy in Davis to replace Cousins. And they also get a veteran (who used to be a leader, solid locker room presence) in Jamison that they need.
TOR sends Bargnani, Lowry, Ed Davis
TOR receives Gasol, Sullinger, Thomas
TOR has been trying to figure out what to do with Bargnani for years and finally can get a more talented, true post presence in return with Gasol. Also with Toronto being an "international" city and friend/Spanish teammate Jose Calderon running the show in Toronto, Pau's game could once again flourish. TOR would get Isiah Thomas to replace Lowry to form a nice PG duo with Calderon. They would also add Sullinger, who is limited long-term but a player who has already earned much respect, to replace the more athletic Ed Davis.
I know this trade looks crazy to some of you on paper because of the amount we're giving up in Rondo + Sullinger, but I think it's actually realistic as we are always over-valuing our own players.
Thoughts?