Serge Ibaka!!
I thought about this for a while and I think Ibaka would be the perfect fit for this team without changing too much oir way of playing or costing too much (unlike nurkic) or affecting our cap long term (unlike monroe)...
He is so perfect for Brad Steven's system and could be great next to horford!!
Defense:
He is a great shoot blocker (unlike monroe)
Can switch to smaller guys (unlike bogut)
Can board better than any of our current bigs
Can switch with horFord on 4/5 like Amir...
Would make us a terror on D.
Offense:
Can post up
Can shoot the midrange
Can be relied upon in crunch time (couple of game winners already for the magic)
But most importantly Can knockdown 3s and open the lane for IT (unlike all these other bigs we are talking about!) This is so crucial for Brad Steven system and IT!
Cost:
Magic being out of the playoff picture and Ibaka being free to choose whichever playoff teams he wants in the summer, Orlando would be wise to get something for him and avoid losing him for nothing after giving away Oladipo! I offer them Zeller+Mickey (or just amir) to match salaries plus 1 non BKN 1St rd pick , plus 2 second Rd picks...
If we can then get Gordon Hayward to join his old coach and be our 2nd offensive weapon, go to scorer with size in money time, I would go to war with a team like this while waiting to cash on my BKN Nets picks!!
Thomas Rozier Jackson
Bradley Smart Green
Hayward Crowder Brown
Ibaka Jerebko Nader
Horford Olynyk Zizic
Can the Celtics even afford BOTH Ibaka and Hayward (Ibaka is also a FA after this season).
Then there's the conundrum of who to keep between IT/Bradley/Smart in 2 summers...
Yeah, I love the idea of Ibaka but I don't know what he'll cost to keep here. It's a similar deal with Noel, in that we can trade for them now but then we'll have to resign them. In that case, I would actually rather Noel - out of the two, he's the one whose value may actually increase after signing a decent contract. Still Ibaka is definitely an intriguing thought.
Bogut is also a guy I think would help immediately but doesn't promise anything past this season, given his age and injury history.
The other guy who doesn't really follow what we've been talking about but whom I suspect Danny is intrigued by is Jahlil Okafor. I know, I know. But if you're Philly, I think it makes more sense to keep Noel than Okafor (though I might move both anyway). Okafor and Embiid really can't play together at all. Noel and Embiid probably complement each other better. And there's this: Okafor might actually be the one potentially blue-chip (or at least, like, turquoise-chip??) guy we could get for pennies on the dollar. He has numerous deficiencies but also still a high ceiling and the potential to develop quite a bit on the defensive end. He has the size, athleticism and hands to be a very good rebounder if developed correctly.
Feel free to crush me for that, but I do think Ainge is probably higher on him than many of the fans are. Not saying I'd be jumping for joy.