Makes me think that Ainge making a Big Draft day trade is SO important to the C's...If he uses a bunch of his Chips, to significantly improve our roster PRIOR to the start of Free Agency---than He'll be in a much better place, making offers.
The Cousins thing doesn't seem plausible to me, but hypothetically would you dramatically overpay for Carmelo Anthony if it would give you a better shot at Kevin Love? Let's assume the Knicks land a stud in this draft and Phil decides he wants to just build around youth.
For instance, if the price for Melo was Wallace's 10 mil expiring + Bradley's 7 mil + Marcus Smart + Sully + #16 + #28 + Brooklyn's 2016... But it ensured that you'd be able to lure Kevin Love... and then use Thomas + Turner + picks to trade for Ty Lawson... you'd have something like this on the books
PG - Lawson - 12.4 mil
SG - Young? Lol - 1.7 mil
SF - Melo - 22.8 mil
PF - Love - 20 mil?
C - Zeller - 2.6 mil
6th - Olynyk - 2 mil
I think we'd have another 5 mil in cap space to hopefully bring Paul Pierce home on an opt-out... Fill out the rest of the roster with min level players (KG's staying in Minny for the long-haul, but offer him the vet min out of respect). Instead of only having 5 mil left, I'm alternatively not not opposed to dumping the salary of Zeller + Olynyk (for future picks) and having another 9ish mil to offer a guy like Omer Asik. That number might even be higher if we sign Kevin Love for less than 20 mil.
Sure, that team probably doesn't win a title, but then a year later we'd have 25 mil in cap space to add to Lawson, Melo and Love... then a year later you'd have another 20 mil in cap space to add even more talent. Welcome to salary cap crazy-town. Best take a swing immediately so you aren't left in the dust when the megateams start forming.
If it was the only way to get Love, I probably still wouldn't do it. Anthony is on the wrong side of 30, he's way too ball-dominant for CBS and were still left with a gaping hole at the 5.
I get that you don't see much value in any of our assets, but jeez. Bradley, Smart, Sullinger, Wallace, our two picks this year and the 16 Brooklyn pick?! Maybe 5 years ago, but not now. That's maybe even too much for Cousins, who is a better player on a good value contract and he's still young.
We can put together a fair, competitive offer for DMC, that's not really the question. The question is whether or not SAC will be willing to trade him. Your right on this though, it seems pretty clear DA will be super aggressive this summer, knowing the cap spike is going to change the landscape.
Still, my gut tells me Love opts out. He's too young and not wired to play the Bosh role, and from everything I've read, which is a fair amount at this point, He just hasn't been comfortable in Cleveland all year. With Blatt, LeBron, the Bronettes, just about everything. It won't shock me if he resigns in Cleveland, even on a one year deal, but I'm expecting an opt out. Regardless of his history with Lebron, Woj is privy to the workings of Love's inner circle. He's considering leaving, and Boston is at the top of the list. That part is true. I think for the first 3 games of that series he was looking across the court and thinking "Man, that team and the coach would be a perfect for me." I just hope the Olynyk thing blows over.