With the recent report that Rondo wants out, I thought I'd try to come up with a couple of Rondo trade proposals. I'd rather not trade Rondo, but for fun I'd thought I'd at least try to come up with some. Some of these are more realistic than others, and some are better than the others. I've tried to list them in order from the most realistic (and subsequently not as good) at the top to the less realistic ones at the bottom. Most will have individual assumptions attached to them, so keep that in mind.
Realistic/Less Desirable: Houston/Boston
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=m69p5dqHouston trades 5 non-guaranteed contracts, Capela, and two unprotected firsts for Rondo
Why Houston does it: Obvious - it gives them their third star while only losing a good prospect, non-guaranteed contracts, and (most likely) two later first round picks. Also, they can take the chance of him not resigning due to how good they will likely be, increasing the chance of resigning him.
Why Boston does it: This is a last effort to get something for Rondo. I would only see this happening if it gets to the trade deadline, and Rondo has made it clear he wants out. By doing this we would get two more picks, a good prospect, and we don't add much long-term salary to our roster.
For the next two Bucks trades, assume one of three things: Rondo agrees to an extend-and-trade (fearing his injury will limit his potential to impress this season), the Bucks think they can convince Rondo to resign with a young, promising core and a chance to learn under one of the greatest PG's of all time, or the Bucks play better than expected and are challenging for a playoff spot (plausible with a Parker, Greek Freak, Mayo, and Henson/Sanders core).
Less Realistic/More Desirable: Milwaukee/Boston 1
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=lcroc28Milwaukee trades Larry Sanders and a top-3 protected 2015 first round pick for Rondo
Why Milwaukee does it: Sanders is on the Bucks' s***-list after his troubles last season, and he may be expendable if they go with Henson as the starting C, which makes him a pretty expensive backup. A lineup of Rondo, Mayo, Antetokounmpo, Parker, and Henson could be sneakily good, and it might be a good enough young core to convince Rondo to sign with them long term. Obviously, some will say Milwaukee isn't an attractive destination for Rondo, but with Henson, Parker and Antetokounmpo, what team in the league has a more promising young core than that? This is magnified by their need for a good vet to help menter Ante, Parker, and Henson along.
Why Boston does it: With this trade they'd get a legitimate center who still has legitimate defensive potential in the right system. Also, he's locked up long-term. A potentially good draft pick would also be awarded to the Celtics. A Smart, Bradley, Turner, Sully/Olynyk, Sanders is pretty nice young core to build with.
Less Realistic/More Desirable: Milwaukee/Boston 2
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=p8hwrfeMilwaukee sends Henson, Pachulia, Knight, and a top - 3 protected 2015 first round pick for Rondo and Faverani
Why Milwaukee does it: Basically the same reasoning as above, except in this scenario Sanders regained his play and they're going with him over Henson. In this scenario, we'd send Faverani over too for their backup center, which is a role he can play nicely. A Rondo, Mayo, Ante, Parker, Sanders lineup is still nice, and it would be a good young core that Rondo could help lead into contention in a few years.
Why Boston does it: They'd get their starting center on a rookie contract, who they could lock up long-term in a year or two. We'd have to ear Knight and Pachulia, but they're both off of the books by 2016, when we'd have a ton of cap space to pursue free agents. This would give Smart, Bradley, Turner, Sully/Olynyk, and Henson the chance to create chemistry and grow as young players.
Least Realistic/Most Desirable: Detroit/Boston
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=k8vp8guDetroit sends Drummond, Jennings, Jerebko for Rondo, Green, and 2015 Clips 1st or a BRK pick
Why Detroit does it: Drummond might literally be an untouchable asset, but if we threw enough at Detroit we could possibly get him. If they wanted to win now, this gives them the best chance at it. A lineup of Rondo, Meeks, Green, Smith, and Monroe is sick, and I think it could challenge to come out of the East with the right supporting cast and bench around them. Rondo would almost assuredly resign to play with a good team and his best friend Smith, and they could solve the Smith/Monroe/Drummond conundrum by subtracting one of them for upgrades at the 1 and 3. Monroe can play full time center and his defensive liabilities are lessened by Smith's defense, and they get out of Jennings bad contract.
Why Boston does it: Don't get me wrong, this is a TON to give up in a trade; however, I think Drummond is worth it. He has MVP type potential, and I wouldn't hesitate to give this much up for him. We'd lose a Brooklyn pick and would have to eat Jennings' contract, but we won't have too terribly much cap space until 2016 anyways, when Wallace and Jennings would both come off of the books. A core of Smart, Bradley, Turner, Sully/Olynyk, and Drummond has a ton of potential, and we'd still have assets to trade/sign a big name in the next offseason or two. Yes, it's a lot to give up for a singular prospect, and, yes, it's hard to imagine Detroit trading Drummond. However, that haul (with a guarantee Rondo would resign) could be enough to entice SVG, and who here wouldn't trade that for Drummond?
Again, some of these are better than others, and some of these are more realistic than others. Which ones do you think are the best and which ones are the most realistic? (Remember the assumptions!)
Topic: Let the Rondo trade proposals begin! (Read 7921 times)