12/15 Trade Idea w/ Wolves

[PhoSita]

Boston trades:

Jeff Green + Brandon Bass + Jordan Crawford

Minnesota Trades:

Derrick Williams + Alexey Shved + (Brewer or Budinger)


Why for Boston:

- Turns two veterans and a throw-in into three younger players with upside.
- Along with a trade / dump of Humphries, this could really open up frontcourt minutes for the younger players.
- Derrick Williams is a good get here, since his value and development in Minnesota have been dampened by the presence of Love / Pekovic / Kirilenko playing at the 4.  Derrick might never be much better than he is now, or he might blow up and become a really nice young player.  Either way, he's 22 while Jeff Green is (almost) 27 and Brandon Bass is 28.
- Shved can be a legit backup point guard and also play off the ball.
- Brewer / Budinger can slot in just fine at starting SF.
- Sets the Celts up better to focus on the development of young players this year (a.k.a. not winning).


Why for Minnesota:

- Gives them a backup PF who is a better fit next to Love or Pek.
- Gives them a legitimate starting SF who is an above average defender at the position and who is capable of scoring 15+ points a game.  This makes them much more dangerous as a potential playoff team.

[BleedGreen1989]

Depending how Minn views Bass's contract I see them likely saying yes.

For Boston, not sure who the three younger guys with potential are as Shved will be 25 this year as well as Budinger. Brewer also turns 27 I believe. Williams is the only one with "potential" IMO.

I'm really not a fan of moving Jeff Green right now. His value is pretty "meh" right now so I'm not sure it can get any lower. However, when he starts this year he could put up some very nice numbers which in turn would only increase his value.

All in all, I feel this is selling low on Jeff Green when there really isn't a need to. My opinion on Williams is not very high either.

[PhoSita]

Depending how Minn views Bass's contract I see them likely saying yes.

For Boston, not sure who the three younger guys with potential are as Shved will be 25 this year as well as Budinger. Brewer also turns 27 I believe. Williams is the only one with "potential" IMO.

I'm really not a fan of moving Jeff Green right now. His value is pretty "meh" right now so I'm not sure it can get any lower. However, when he starts this year he could put up some very nice numbers which in turn would only increase his value.

All in all, I feel this is selling low on Jeff Green when there really isn't a need to. My opinion on Williams is not very high either.

Derrick Williams is really the focus as far as "potential" goes.  The other guys are just younger role players who would fit better in our rotation than Bass / Crawford do now.

I'm not entirely optimistic that Jeff Green's trade value is going to get a heck of a lot higher.  He'll have a large role in the offense this year, and he'll probably set career highs in points.  But his efficiency might not be really any better than it ever has been, which is to say it'll be about average at best.

In any case, this trade couldn't happen before 12/15 and would probably happen at the trade deadline instead, so Green will have plenty of opportunity to up his value by then.  But even in that case, I don't see us getting any substantially better offers than this.  The only reason a player like Derrick Williams is potentially available is because he's struggled a bit his first couple of seasons and the position he plays is covered on his current team.

I think if we get the chance to flip Green for a 22 year old with great physical talents and at least some potential to become a really valuable player, it would make sense to take that gamble. 

That's the sort of trade we should target with Green.  I doubt anybody will ever give us a top 10 lottery pick for him, and we are unlikely to be in a position where we want to flip him for some other productive veteran in his prime (somebody like Gortat or Millsap or something).

[Who]

(1) I don't see much value in Derrick Williams. He has some talent but he doesn't use it well. I think his upside is to become a Jeff Green level player. And, it is no sure thing he reaches that level.

I don't see the upside in that swap. I think keep J.Green and try to trade him elsewhere.

(2) Didn't C.Brewer and C.Budinger sign 3-4 year deals this summer?

Seems like Boston would be better off just sticking with Bass and letting him expire rather than taking on those contracts since they are a year or so longer.

[moiso]

I like the trade, especially if we get Buddinger instead of Brewer.  I think Williams has a lot more upside than Green due to Green's age and the fact that Green has already established what he is.

[PhoSita]

(1) I don't see much value in Derrick Williams. He has some talent but he doesn't use it well. I think his upside is to become a Jeff Green level player. And, it is no sure thing he reaches that level.

I don't see the upside in that swap. I think keep J.Green and try to trade him elsewhere.

(2) Didn't C.Brewer and C.Budinger sign 3-4 year deals this summer?

Seems like Boston would be better off just sticking with Bass and letting him expire rather than taking on those contracts since they are a year or so longer.

Fair points (those are 3 year deals by the way), and I think whether or not you make a trade like this depends on your evaluation of Derrick Williams.

Is he just a guy who got drafted into a situation that hasn't allowed him to really grow?  Or is he more like Evan Turner -- a guy who was a bit of a flash in the pan at the NCAA level who is just an average pro with nice physical gifts?

In any case, this is the sort of trade I'd want to target with Jeff Green, and I'd like to trade Jeff sometime this season or before the draft next summer so we can still hope that some team will think Jeff has some 'upside' as a potential go-to scorer.  I'm concerned that if he spends a full year or more being our top option and continues to look just average in terms of efficiency or is inconsistent in that role, it'll really make it hard to move him for any future value.