T-Mac tells LeBron to "get Rondo;" radical three-team ideas

[TheFlex]

Tracy McGrady's latest thoughts on Cleveland:

Bron, go get Rondo out of Boston!

https://twitter.com/Real_T_Mac/status/530437423147548672

I'm the first one to admit that the odds of a Rondo-for-Kyrie swap are unlikely. Very unlikely.

For fun, though, let's assume it's possible and explore three-team trade ideas:

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=mb62z4r

BOS receives: Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Knight, Brendan Haywood, Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2015 MIL 1st rounder

CLE receives: Rajon Rondo, Phil Pressey, 2015 LAC 1st rounder (pretty sure we'd have to cut him [edit: Pressey] anyway because even if we can waive Haywood -- which I'm unsure about -- it's still a 2-for-3 trade and we have 15 players)

MIL receives: Kyrie Irving (locked up for six more years including this season), Lou Amundson

More craziness:

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=qjbyeqp

BOS receives: Jason Richardson, Michael Carter-Williams, Brendon Haywood, 2015 PHI 1st

CLE receives: Rajon Rondo, 2015 LAC 1st rounder

PHI receives: Kyrie Irving, Lou Amundson

I am tempted to swap MCW for Noel because of our positional needs but I highly doubt the Sixers would be interested in relinquishing one of their prized big man instead of their PG in exchange for another PG in Irving. Perhaps they'd be intrigued by the thought of an MCW-Irving backcourt. I don't see it.

Then again, I don't see any of this happening.

Discuss!

[D.o.s.]

I would trade the invention of Twitter for the chance to watch a healthy Tracy McGrady's NBA career.

[GreenFaith1819]

How about we get KLove out of CLE, TMac?

Three apparently ball-dominant players aren't working very well in CLE, at least yet....not sure if it ever will, either.

Kyrie's got to become a TRUE PG all of a sudden...he should go read Rajon Rondo's book of running a team.

[wdleehi]

If what the Celtics are giving up is good enough to get Irving out of Cleveland, why are the Bucks involved?



A Rondo for Irving type of deal is one of the few I can understand for this team.  Give the Celtics more of a scoring threat and work with Smart who can defend SGs and help run the offense. 



Stay away from the platter of nice players.  The Celtics have their nice players.  Needs stars.

[celts10]

If that were to happen I guess Ray Allen would automatically cross Cleveland off of his list then..

[fairweatherfan]

If what the Celtics are giving up is good enough to get Irving out of Cleveland, why are the Bucks involved?



A Rondo for Irving type of deal is one of the few I can understand for this team.  Give the Celtics more of a scoring threat and work with Smart who can defend SGs and help run the offense. 



Stay away from the platter of nice players.  The Celtics have their nice players.  Needs stars.

Yeah, I agree.  If both deals have Cleveland giving up Irving, why the heck aren't we bringing him here?  The only way a 3-teamer makes sense in that scenario is if we're getting a high-level C instead of swapping PGs.

I agree with both of you that Irving is one of the few Rondo trade possibilities that makes sense for us, but is also a very unlikely scenario.  But I can't underestimate the power of LeBron's wishes - he can opt out as early as this offseason if he wants, and is definitely a FA after two.   If he decides he wants Kyrie replaced with an established PG who's both willing and able to pass the ball, it'll probably happen in one form or another.

[footey]

Irving is a loser, I don't want him. Work it out to get us a good center in a 3 way and I would listen.  --DA

[TheFlex]

I don't like Kyrie a) next to Smart and b) in Stevens' system. I'd rather continue asset collection, hope one of the picks turns into Okafor or Towns and either keep Greek Freak or get value for MCW depending on which completely improbable trade happened in this fantasy world.

[Celtics4ever]

Because T Mac is a champion and know what it takes to win.

[kozlodoev]

I don't like Kyrie a) next to Smart and b) in Stevens' system. I'd rather continue asset collection, hope one of the picks turns into Okafor or Towns and either keep Greek Freak or get value for MCW depending on which completely improbable trade happened in this fantasy world.

Right, because how well he'll play next to Marcus Smart is the most important consideration when acquiring a 22-year-old all-star player 

Even if you're purely interested in asset collection, adding Irving is about your best move, if at all possible.

[wdleehi]

I don't like Kyrie a) next to Smart and b) in Stevens' system. I'd rather continue asset collection, hope one of the picks turns into Okafor or Towns and either keep Greek Freak or get value for MCW depending on which completely improbable trade happened in this fantasy world.

Right, because how well he'll play next to Marcus Smart is the most important consideration when acquiring a 22-year-old all-star player 

Even if you're purely interested in asset collection, adding Irving is about your best move, if at all possible.

Yep

Irving is the level of talent that you acquire all those assets for the chance to get. 


Plus his youth and the rest of the Celtics assets do allow the Celtics more patience when building the team. 

[D.o.s.]

Because T Mac is a champion and know what it takes to win.

A) I laughed. TP.

B) You can't hold McGrady's NBA career against him. Too much of it was external (which is true of every NBA player's career to a greater degree than most people like to admit).

[wdleehi]

Irving is a loser, I don't want him. Work it out to get us a good center in a 3 way and I would listen.  --DA

I think the real truth is that Cleveland is a loser franchise that had two amazing pieces of luck:


1)  Won the right to draft Lebron

2)  Was the home team for where Lebron grew up.




Outside of getting Lebron and using him to draw others players, what great move have they made?

[quidinqui33]

Though I love Rondo, Danny needs to take this little TMac lob into the twitterverse and run with it.  You know Lebron saw the tweet, you know it's in his mind, and you know we have a good trading relationship with Cleveland.

Honestly, this as good as it gets for value in return for Rondo at this stage of his career, and it is pretty darn good.  Kyrie has a ways to go as a point guard, but at 22 years of age, the man is going to get better.  He has already been an All-star game MVP and key member of team USA, and has one of the best handles in the league.

Cleveland is in win now mode.  Give them Rondo and Gerald Wallace, and we'll take Kyrie.  Even Wallace makes sense for Cleveland as his contract lines up with Lebron and he helps them now.  I'd even throw in a pick if needed.

If this trade is remotely available, Danny has to pull the trigger in my opinion.  Even if Kyrie does not work out, he is a much more valuable asset moving forward than Rondo at this point.  And it is also a good landing spot for Rondo which Danny seems to always do for his stars.

[slamtheking]

the original deal is a no-go.  horrible return for Rondo.

as far as Kyrie goes, I'm not as keen on him as some here are.  looking at his abysmal assist performance so far this season calls into question his ability to sublimate his game for his teammates.  I'm seeing a me-first player developing right before our eyes while he teams up with the league's prima donna