Master "win later" plan

[LarBrd33]

Still bored.  I already detailed my Master "win now" plan:  http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=68856.0

Now I'll throw a rolled up bundle of wet toilet paper against the wall and come up with my Master "win later" plan.  This represents the opposite course of action... bottoming out good and proper, acquiring some young assets, freeing up lots of cap space and embracing the tank.

Pro tip:  Might as well send our talent to teams in the East.  Their improvement is our gain.  We don't want to accidentally  make the playoffs this year.

If the season ended today, Boston would miss the playoffs and have a Top 9 pick. 

My targets:  Bobcats and Cavs.  Both teams apparently WANT to make the playoffs this year.  These teams aren't necessarily tanking... Bobcats signing Big Al represents a team that wants to win.  The Cavs were going for it with Bynum, but it didn't work out.  Let's help them win this year.

#1 - I'd trade Rajon Rondo, Gerald Wallace's horrible contract, and Brandon Bass to the Bobcats for Gordon's expiring, Sessions expiring, MKG and Biyombo.  If we can get a pick out of it, great.

Rationalization: Look, ideally I also want a 1st rounder or two.  I wouldn't mind them including Kemba Walker as well.  But the main benefit here is getting rid of Wallace and getting a couple young prospects in MKG and Biyombo.  Tweak as necessary, but that's the main framework.  Bobcats get an elite PG and a serviceable big.  They can feel free to flip Kemba to a 3rd team since he'll be redundant with Rondo.

#2 - Trade Jeff Green and Courtney Lee to the Cavs for Bynum and Waiters.   

Rationalization:  We'd immediately waive Bynum.   Cavs reportedly want some SF help.  They reached out to the Bulls about trading Bynum for Deng, but the Bulls weren't interested.  Part of the appeal there might have also been that Deng was an expiring contract... keeping their flexibility.  Not sure if they'd actually want Jeff Green. Waiters was rumored to want a trade.  They aren't infatuated with him.  This honestly might not be enough for the Cavs.  Green and Lee would help their team... I don't have a good read on this situation.  Some people suggest they'd give up a pick to get Bynum out of there.  Others suggest you'd have to give up a pick to get Bynum.  So adjust accordingly.


Here it is as a three teamer:  http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=p4jdfx8

Immediately cut Bynum.  Buy out the expiring contracts of Gordon, Humph, Bogans and Sessions.   Your team now looks like this:

PG - Crawford (expiring)
SG - Waiters, Bradley (expiring)
SF - MKG
PF - Sully/Oly
C - Biyombo/Fav

Congrats, your team is a lock for a Top 8 pick and has roughly 35 million dollars in cap space this summer.   You ain't winning any time soon.

[gpap]

I think right now the Celts are subscribing to the "what the hell is winning?" plan.

[Nerf DPOY]

I don't see the point in gutting the roster to clear cap room to try and attract a FA to come play with Waiters, Sullinger, and a top pick.

I prefer the situation more as it stands now, and don't see moving Wallace's contract as really all that much of a priority given the state of the franchise.

And I like our chance of landing a top pick as is.

[LarBrd33]

I don't see the point of gutting the roster to clear cap room to try and attract a FA to come play with Waiters, Sullinger, and a top pick.

I prefer the situation more as it stands now, and don't see moving Wallace's contract as really all that much of a priority given the state of the franchise.

And I like our chance of landing a top pick as is.

In that situation, you probably wouldn't attract a superstar free agent, but teams rarely do.   You'd use the flexibility in other ways. You'd use your insane amount of cap space to rent out cap room for draft picks.  Teams would unload their bad contracts on us and give us draft picks to do it.  That's what the Thunder did.  You could also take on lopsided salary.  Send out Oly's 2 mil for a player making 8 mil.  Tons of flexibility.  Since you have cap room, teams have incentive to trade with you, because you can absorb contracts and send back trade exceptions.

Granted, you would likely end up with a top 5 pick in this draft... who is probably going to be the cornerstone of your franchise.  Along with the #20 pick from Atlanta.  + all those MANY picks coming up over the next 5 years... you'll have plenty of shots to nab talent organically and grow them up through the system with Brad Stevens leadership.

Summer plan:  In order to get above the minimun salary floor,  Sign Paul Pierce as a free agent.  If you can't land a stud with your 35 mil in cap space (lance stephensen, for example)... give Paul 5-6 mil to come off our bench and be a leader.   Do you still have 30 mil in cap space left?... Tell the Nets we'll take KG's salary off their hands for a draft pick.   Kg and a 1st to the Celtics for a 2nd rounder.  By next year, KG is basically going to be useless.  Just a towel-waiver who makes 12 million dollars.  Kg and Paul can retire as Boston Celtics. 

[Nerf DPOY]

I don't see the point of gutting the roster to clear cap room to try and attract a FA to come play with Waiters, Sullinger, and a top pick.

I prefer the situation more as it stands now, and don't see moving Wallace's contract as really all that much of a priority given the state of the franchise.

And I like our chance of landing a top pick as is.

In that situation, you probably wouldn't attract a superstar free agent, but teams rarely do.   You'd use the flexibility in other ways. You'd use your insane amount of cap space to rent out cap room for draft picks.  Teams would unload their bad contracts on us and give us draft picks to do it.  That's what the Thunder did.  You could also take on lopsidded salary.  Send out Oly's 2 mil for a player making 8 mil.  Tons of flexibility.  Since you have cap room, teams have incentive to trade with you, because you can absorb contracts and send back trade exceptions.

Granted, you would likely end up with a top 5 pick in this draft... who is probably going to be the cornerstone of your franchise.  Along with the #20 pick from Atlanta.  + all those MANY picks coming up over the next 5 years... you'll have plenty of shots to nab talent organically and grow them up through the system with Brad Stevens leadership.

Summer plan:  In order to get above the minimun salary floor,  Sign Paul Pierce as a free agent.  If you can't land a stud with your 35 mil in cap space (lance stephensen, for example)... give Paul 5-6 mil to come off our bench and be a leader.   Do you still have 30 mil in cap space left?... Tell the Nets we'll take KG's salary off their hands for a draft pick.   Kg and a 1st to the Celtics for a 2nd rounder.  By next year, KG is basically going to be useless.  Just a towel-waiver who makes 12 million dollars.  Kg and Paul can retire as Boston Celtics. 

Well, I think Rondo himself directly in a trade has a better shot at landing a top pick than cap space in the future does. Maybe I'm wrong. We do have the trade exception we could use in the summer to maybe land yet another future pick. This just feels like complicating things just to do it. Don't you see the irony in moving Rondo for cap room to land a pick(s)to maybe land a great player? I guess that would depend on what you thought of Rondo...

[Celtics4ever]

You can use rationalization as a word to make it sound "thought out" and "logical" but then you say something like this:

  Sign Paul Pierce as a free agent.  If you can't land a stud with your 35 mil in cap space (lance stephensen, for example)... give Paul 5-6 mil to come off our bench and be a leader.

Now I love PP too  but that is not rational.  That is thinking based on emotion not logic or rationality.  Your usually a cold hearted rational guy but I think your fanhood came out in this one.   Do you think this is worth 5-6 Million a year?

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/662/paul-pierce

Why cut space in one area and hamper us in another?  Not good management by any means as his shooting percentage is bad.   I am all for bringing him back but maybe for more reasonable cash.

[BballTim]

I don't see the point of gutting the roster to clear cap room to try and attract a FA to come play with Waiters, Sullinger, and a top pick.

I prefer the situation more as it stands now, and don't see moving Wallace's contract as really all that much of a priority given the state of the franchise.

And I like our chance of landing a top pick as is.

In that situation, you probably wouldn't attract a superstar free agent, but teams rarely do.   You'd use the flexibility in other ways. You'd use your insane amount of cap space to rent out cap room for draft picks.  Teams would unload their bad contracts on us and give us draft picks to do it.  That's what the Thunder did.  You could also take on lopsided salary.  Send out Oly's 2 mil for a player making 8 mil.  Tons of flexibility.  Since you have cap room, teams have incentive to trade with you, because you can absorb contracts and send back trade exceptions.

Granted, you would likely end up with a top 5 pick in this draft... who is probably going to be the cornerstone of your franchise.  Along with the #20 pick from Atlanta.  + all those MANY picks coming up over the next 5 years... you'll have plenty of shots to nab talent organically and grow them up through the system with Brad Stevens leadership.

Summer plan:  In order to get above the minimun salary floor,  Sign Paul Pierce as a free agent.  If you can't land a stud with your 35 mil in cap space (lance stephensen, for example)... give Paul 5-6 mil to come off our bench and be a leader.   Do you still have 30 mil in cap space left?... Tell the Nets we'll take KG's salary off their hands for a draft pick.   Kg and a 1st to the Celtics for a 2nd rounder.  By next year, KG is basically going to be useless.  Just a towel-waiver who makes 12 million dollars.  Kg and Paul can retire as Boston Celtics. 

  Good plan, burn the franchise to the ground in order to try and convince PP and KG to come back. Good luck trying to get KG to sign on with that flotsam. In fact I'd be fairly surprised if PP even considered it, opting to go to a contender and signing that one day contract when the time came.

[TheBigTicket23]

Very creative but this is just a horrible horrible plan in my opinion.

[EDWARDO]

Very creative but this is just a horrible horrible plan in my opinion.

Agree. Simply awful. 90% of what Ainge is trying to do is find 2 top 20 players, and yet you want to trade the one guy on our roster with a chance of being that guy. For nothing. Truly awful.

[Moranis]

I don't mind the Cleveland trade all that much, but I like Waiters a lot.  The Charlotte trade is just bad without at least one draft pick coming to Boston (and I'd want more than just the Portland pick Charlotte owns).

How about something like this?

Boston - Lin, Jones, Len, Kratsov, Brewer, HOU 1st, IND 1st, better of PHO or WAS 1st
Phoenix - Asik
Houston - Rondo, Bass, Lee 

Boston drops 7 million in salary (which like it or not is a consideration), picks up 2 more 2014 1sts, a top 5 pick from last year in Len, another young player in Jones, and a respectable PG in Lin (who will sell jerseys like crazy).  Boston still has Humphries and Bogans expiring contracts and Green, Sullinger, Olynyk, and Bradley as valuable trade chips in addition to all of the picks should a trade for a superstar present itself.

[LooseCannon]

If you are desperate to dump Wallace anytime soon, I think you have to resign yourself to giving up a pick.  I doubt you can avoid coughing one up and get anything useful coming back, especially any young player who seems like less of a bust than Fab Melo.

[moiso]

Trade #1 makes some sense, especially if we get a 1st rounder out of it.  I think I would pull the trigger.

Trade #2 is pretty bad.  I think Waiters likes to shoot the ball, but I don't think he's very good.  Every time I see his box scores he is like 3 for 16 from the field.  No thanks to him.  He can stay disgruntled elsewhere.

[Chris]

Small quibble with the Cleveland trade.  If the C's trade for Bynum, I think they would hold on to him, not cut him, unless the trade put them over the luxury tax.  While saving Wyc $6 million is nice, having Bynum's non-guaranteed deal to trade of draft night is much better.  That would be a very valuable asset at that point.

[LarBrd33]

Small quibble with the Cleveland trade.  If the C's trade for Bynum, I think they would hold on to him, not cut him, unless the trade put them over the luxury tax.  While saving Wyc $6 million is nice, having Bynum's non-guaranteed deal to trade of draft night is much better.  That would be a very valuable asset at that point.

Having the ability to absorb 35 million in salary makes that irrelevant.   Teams would rather get back a trade exception that they could actually use.  You get what I'm saying?

[LarBrd33]

I don't see the point of gutting the roster to clear cap room to try and attract a FA to come play with Waiters, Sullinger, and a top pick.

I prefer the situation more as it stands now, and don't see moving Wallace's contract as really all that much of a priority given the state of the franchise.

And I like our chance of landing a top pick as is.

In that situation, you probably wouldn't attract a superstar free agent, but teams rarely do.   You'd use the flexibility in other ways. You'd use your insane amount of cap space to rent out cap room for draft picks.  Teams would unload their bad contracts on us and give us draft picks to do it.  That's what the Thunder did.  You could also take on lopsided salary.  Send out Oly's 2 mil for a player making 8 mil.  Tons of flexibility.  Since you have cap room, teams have incentive to trade with you, because you can absorb contracts and send back trade exceptions.

Granted, you would likely end up with a top 5 pick in this draft... who is probably going to be the cornerstone of your franchise.  Along with the #20 pick from Atlanta.  + all those MANY picks coming up over the next 5 years... you'll have plenty of shots to nab talent organically and grow them up through the system with Brad Stevens leadership.

Summer plan:  In order to get above the minimun salary floor,  Sign Paul Pierce as a free agent.  If you can't land a stud with your 35 mil in cap space (lance stephensen, for example)... give Paul 5-6 mil to come off our bench and be a leader.   Do you still have 30 mil in cap space left?... Tell the Nets we'll take KG's salary off their hands for a draft pick.   Kg and a 1st to the Celtics for a 2nd rounder.  By next year, KG is basically going to be useless.  Just a towel-waiver who makes 12 million dollars.  Kg and Paul can retire as Boston Celtics. 

  Good plan, burn the franchise to the ground in order to try and convince PP and KG to come back. Good luck trying to get KG to sign on with that flotsam. In fact I'd be fairly surprised if PP even considered it, opting to go to a contender and signing that one day contract when the time came.

Timmy, it has nothing to do with KG and Pierce.  I threw that in to be silly.  You'd do these trades to bring in some young assets, develop your young assets, bottom out for a superstar pick, free up 35 million in cap space that you can use in a multitude of ways.  Often dead-end teams with bloated salary want to dump contracts of non-performers.  As Oklahoma proved, you can often rent out your cap space and earn draft picks in the process.  The KG thing was a joke... he's completely washed up and is still on the books for 12 million next year.  I was joking that the Nets would be willing to give up a draft pick in order to get someone else to absorb that salary.  Obviously that's silly... there's no way the Nets would give up 3 picks to get KG and then give up a pick to get rid of KG a year later.  On paper that would make them look insane.