The idea behind this three-way trade is two-fold. First, Sanders hasn't lived up to his potential, and he's fallen out of favor with Milwaukee. With the report that Sanders might come off the bench to start the year, this MAY indicate he's available for the rebuilding Bucks to gather more assets. Second, Golden State is in win-now mode, but it's highly unlikely that they'll be able to retain Klay Thompson with as much money as they have invested in their starting five. They need cheaper, young talent to support their main guys, and Klay's inevitable pay raise next year should put him out of their price range. Enter the Celtics.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=moly8dh (Could easily be two separate trades, too.)
Bos Out: Wallace, Bogans, Johnson, Babb, Smart, Clippers Pick, Phi Pick(s)
Bos In: Sanders, Mayo, Thompson
Mil Out: Sanders, Mayo
Mil In: Wallace, Bogans, Johnson, Babb, Clippers Pick
GS Out: Thompson
GS In: Smart, Phi Pick
Why Milwaukee does it: If Henson pans out as a starting C, then Sanders is an expensive backup. Swapping him with us would give them roughly 7 million in non-guaranteed deals to cut and two less years of a bad contract in Wallace. Furthermore, they would get a late first round pick for their trouble, along with getting out of the contract of Mayo, who I believe can still be redeemed in the right setting. If they would want another pick for him, I might consider a less favorable one.
Why Golden State does it: Klay is a perfect complement to Curry in the backcourt, because he has size, defense, and shooting to support him. Smart would be a very similar fit in the backcourt next to Curry (sans the shooting), because he has decent size with excellent defense and physicality to make up for Curry's weaknesses. Furthermore, Smart can also handle the ball, something that Klay can't, and this would allow Curry to have more spot up opportunities off of Smart. Lastly, Smart is cost controlled for four years, and it allows them to keep their core intact and be competitive for years to come.
Why Boston does it: Losing Smart would hurt, but having both Rondo and Smart right now is too redundant. Replacing Smart for a young, sharp-shooting SF that we can have for years to come is invaluable, and we'll be able to lock him up for a long time next offseason. This trade would leave our depth chart like this:
PG: Rondo, Pressey
SG: Bradley, Mayo, Thornton, Young
SF: Thompson, Green, Turner
PF: Sully, Olynyk, Bass
C: Sanders, Zeller, Anthony
We could do some roster-space moves in dealing Green, Bass, and Thornton to clear the log jams, and I would say this roster could compete in a year or two. With Bradley's improved shooting, Thompson and Bradley would greatly complement Rondo's style, and they'd be a top defensive team between Sanders, Thompson, and Bradley. Also, they could run most lineups out of the gym.
Who says no?