Celtics Initiating Rondo Trade Talks
Trade rumors have swirled around Rajon Rondo ever since the NBA's lockout ended, and according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, the ongoing rumblings aren't a result of mere speculation. Citing "multiple front office sources," Ingram reports the Celtics are initiating trade discussions involving Rondo.
Earlier this season, Celtics GM Danny Ainge insisted he wasn't trying to trade Rondo, stressing the difference between listening to offers on a player and aggressively shopping him. While Ainge may not be actively trying to ship Rondo out of town, the point guard, who turns 26 next Wednesday, is one of the team's few valuable young assets, as Hoops Rumors' Jesse Blanchard wrote last week. It wouldn't be a surprise if any trade inquiry Ainge makes leads to a discussion of Rondo sooner or later.
Within his HoopsWorld piece, Ingram singles the Utah Jazz out as a potential trade partner for the Celtics, arguing that a swap centered around Rondo and Paul Millsap would make sense. However, there's no indication any talks have occurred between Boston and Utah.
Odds & Ends: LeBron, Chandler, Lin, Barnes
LeBron James raised some eyebrows earlier today when he told reporters, including Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that he wouldn't rule out eventually returning to Cleveland:
"It would be fun to play in front of these fans again," said James. "I had a lot fun times in my seven years here. You can't predict the future, and hopefully I continue to stay healthy. I'm here as a Miami Heat player, and I'm happy where I am now, but I don't rule that out in no sense…. And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."
While James sounded contrite about the way he left the Cavaliers, I can't bring myself to put much stock into his comments about potentially returning. It strikes me as an attempt to mend fences and shed the villainous reputation he earned in Ohio following "The Decision."
Here are a few more links from around the league:
- While J.R. Smith seemed anxious to leave China as soon as possible, Wilson Chandler had nothing but positive things to Sun Xiaochen of China Daily about his experience in the CBA: "It has been a very good learning curve and experience for me and has helped me mature in some ways and develop parts of my game that I hadn't worked on in a while."
- The latest "We could have had Jeremy Lin!" story comes out of Boston, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports the Celtics twice hoped to claim Lin on waivers, but lost out to the Rockets and Knicks.
- Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle doesn't blame Rockets GM Daryl Morey for letting Lin go.
- Sophomore Harrison Barnes tells Chris Thomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it'd be a "no-brainer" to declare for this year's draft if UNC wins the national championship this year. I'm betting Barnes, who figures to be a top-five pick, will be entering the draft even if the Tar Heels are bounced from March Madness early.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Carmelo, Sixers, Celtics
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News mentioned (via Twitter) a possible return of Nets center Brook Lopez before the All-Star break. Also, Colin Stephenson of The Star-Ledger tweeted that Jordan Farmar did not suit up for tonight's game due to a strained right groin.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York writes that Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony could return as early as Friday's game against the Hornets.
- Bob Cooney of Philly.com discusses the uncertainty of how active the Sixers will be in the trade market before the deadline.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com touches upon the durability of Kevin Garnett, the trade value of Jermaine O'Neal, and the current state of the Celtics.
- Linas Kleiza is out of the Raptors lineup after injuring himself during Tuesday's game against the Knicks, according to a tweet by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Trade Exceptions Due To Expire Next Week
In certain NBA trade scenarios, a team can acquire a traded player exception, which is worth a specific amount of money and can be used at any time over the next year. These trade exceptions allow teams to acquire one or more players without sending any salary back. However, if a team has obtained multiple trade exceptions, it can't combine them to acquire a more expensive player.
For more details on how trade exceptions can be obtained, check out our glossary of salary cap exceptions and Larry Coon's CBA FAQ, but here's a practical example:
When the Mavericks worked out a sign-and-trade deal to send Tyson Chandler to the Knicks prior to the season, the Mavs acquired a traded player exception worth about $13.11MM — Chandler's 2011/12 cap figure. The Mavs used most of that exception to absorb Lamar Odom's salary in a trade with the Lakers, who in turn received a trade exception worth Odom's $8.9MM cap figure. Now, the Mavs have about $4.21MM of their exception remaining, while the Lakers have yet to use their $8.9MM exception.
A number of trade exceptions were obtained leading up to last season's February 24th trade deadline, and are set to expire within the next ten days. Teams aren't obligated to use their exceptions — the amounts of some exceptions aren't substantial enough to be useful, and most will simply expire quietly. But they're worth keeping an eye on over the next week and a half.
Here's the complete list of trade exceptions due to expire by next Friday:
Feb. 22nd
- Nuggets: $4,640,536 (Carmelo Anthony), $1,675,000 (Renaldo Balkman), $854,389 (Shelden Williams)
Feb. 23rd
- Hawks: $1,042,320 (Jordan Crawford)
- Hornets: $762,195 (Marcus Thornton)
- Jazz: $1,815,873 (Deron Williams)
Feb. 24th
- Bobcats: $1,486,330 (Gerald Wallace)
- Celtics: $473,604 (Semih Erden), $473,604 (Luke Harangody)
Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this list.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Thunder, Batum, Rondo
February 13th has historically been a busy day for trades, with the most recent blockbuster coming in 2010 — the Mavericks and Wizards finalized a seven-player deal that sent Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to Dallas. Other notable Valentine's Eve deals? Shawn Marion to Toronto (2009), Damon Stoudamire to Portland (1998), and Mychal Thompson to the Lakers (1987). With a late trade deadline this season, we're not expecting any big deals quite yet, but the day's still young….
- Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle is still on board with the Rockets trying to acquire Pau Gasol.
- While the Thunder might prefer a veteran backup at point guard, there are reasons to believe they'll be fine with Reggie Jackson, says Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. The rookie has served as Russell Westbrook's backup since Eric Maynor went down for the season with a torn ACL.
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops thinks the Lakers should consider signing Gerald Green from the D-League.
- Re-signing Nicolas Batum will be a priority for the Trail Blazers this summer, whether or not Gerald Wallace exercises his player option, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.
- Rich Levine of CSNNE.com tries to make sense of Rajon Rondo's season, wondering if trade rumors are affecting Rondo's performance at all.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, Bulls
Teams in three of the top markets in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks, are struggling through disappointing seasons (though the Knicks have picked up lately under the promise of Linsanity). A fourth big-market club, the Chicago Bulls, now has a potential injury problem.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports officials from the Lakers attended a private workout for Gilbert Arenas. Arenas was amnestied this off-season by the Orlando Magic, and is hoping the same knee procedure that benefited Kobe Bryant in the off-season can produce similar results.
- Amare Stoudemire returns Monday and Al Iannazzone of Newsday wonders how the Knicks' offense will look when Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony return. Stoudemire seems a natural fit alongside Lin. His skill set has always been maximized alongside a pick and roll point guard. Anthony, however, is one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA and the ball tends to stop in his hands.
- Derrick Rose sat Sunday's game against the Celtics out with a back injury and will meet with some specialists Monday in Chicago reports Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose had similar back issues in high school, but this is the first time he's had trouble since. The Bulls lack the star power of some of the other team, but compensate with their depth and chemistry. That chemistry, however, still depends on Rose operating near peak form.
- Brandon Bass is ailing, and Jermaine O'Neal is often injured. The Celtics have been looking for front court depth for some time. Today they got some good minutes from rookie JuJuan Johnson and veteran Chris Wilcox writes Green Street's Mike Petraglia.
- Paul Flannery of WEEI.com wonders if Rajon Rondo is the centerpiece of the next generation of Celtics, or will he prove to be too unorthodox for a team minus three future Hall of Famers?
Trade Candidate: Ray Allen
While hardly the same player who dominated the league with the SuperSonics for a decade, Ray Allen continues to be a steady starter on a team contending for a playoff spot. But with the Celtics looking at little more than a first-round playoff exit with a 14-12 record, the team must consider breaking up the Big Three in hopes of building for the future. If the team were to entertain trading one of their most prominent players, it would seemingly be Allen's name that would come up the most in trade talks given Kevin Garnett's erratic production and a general unwillingness by the Celtics to deal Paul Pierce.
Both Allen, 36, and Garnett, 35 will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2011/2012 season. But with Garnett currently earning $21MM this season, Allen's $10MM becomes more movable even though both players have expiring contracts. Beyond simply acquiring payroll flexibility at the end of the season, Allen would potentially provide a playoff contender with a strong veteran presence who could provide a boost both on and off the court.
Allen has averaged just over 20 PPG in his illustrious career but that number has dropped to 14.8 PPG this season to go with 2.7 APG, a figure close to what he has averaged during his tenure with the Celtics. Taking the 14.8 PPG at face-value would be doing Allen a disservice as a closer look at his numbers reveals a season of increased efficiency. With a 49.2 FG% and shooting over 50% on threes, Allen is well above his career average marks, making the shortened 2011/2012 season one of his finest in a Celtics uniform.
Health would not be a concern for a team acquiring Allen via trade as he has started at least 73 games in each of the past four seasons. After injuries plagued him during his Seattle days, Allen corrected his diet to better fit the demands of playing an 82-game NBA schedule. Thanks to a healthier diet in combination with an improved exercise regimen created in concert with the Celtics training staff, Allen is on path to start in 98% of the Celtics' games for a third consecutive season.
If put on the trade block, many playoff contenders, including the Bulls, would seemingly consider putting together a package for the former UConn Husky. While Richard Hamilton has played at an acceptable level since signing with the Bulls this offseason, his health concerns remain an issue as he has missed more than half of his team's games. At worst, the addition of Allen would give the Bulls one of the deepest backcourts in the NBA and perhaps push for more out of Hamilton once he returns from injury.
The Bulls could offer two young-ish players to the Celtics in return for Allen. According to ESPN's NBA Trade Machine, a trade of Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer for Allen works on paper and would net the Bulls three additional wins. The trade would provide Brewer the opportunity to start for the Celtics and for Korver to provide depth behind Pierce, but would lead to three additional losses for the Celtics.
While adding Allen to the Bulls may put them in prime position to challenge the Heat for the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, time remains for the Celtics to better predict the course of their season. At 14-12, a string of wins could quickly lead to the Celtics being buyers rather than sellers come March. Similarly, a weak finish heading into All-Star Weekend could start the chatter about where Allen may finish the season.
Assessing Stocks: Boston Celtics
Portfolio Review: There is a difference between a team maxed out at mediocrity, and a championship team that has aged its way there. The Boston Celtics find themselves looking up at the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, but have just enough fight left to compete and perhaps take advantage of the right matchup or injury to make one last run.
On the one hand, Danny Ainge has expressed no fear in blowing this up and rebuilding should the opportunity present itself. On the other, the Celtics gave up all their young assets save for Rajon Rondo in building this team. And years of building on the fringes around the Big Three have left the team bereft of young assets and high picks that teams covet in trades.
Prime assets: Ainge has expressed a willingness to move any of the Big Three. Unfortunately each of them are long past the wrong side of 30 and short of finding a sudden contender holding onto another team's potential lottery pick to deal with–as the Clippers were this summer holding the Timberwolves unprotected pick–most teams with prime young assets aren't going to give away great potential for one or two years of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, or Ray Allen.
Their absolute ceiling might be a return of boom or bust prospects (think Michael Beasley with the Miami Heat) and mid-to-late first round picks.
That leaves Rajon Rondo as the Celtics best trade asset, and the only one capable of returning a sure All-Star. He also remains the Celtics best player. Which means any deal involving Rondo should be made for one last run or at the beginning of a complete teardown of this one-time championship team.
Worthless stock: Just about everything else. From Chris Wilcox to Jermaine O'Neal to Keyon Dooling, the rest of the Celtics rotation is comprised of replacement level players–generic skill sets whose contributions could be matched by plucking younger developmental players with bigger potential. The roster has limited flexibility to improve and the entirety of this season depends on the health and legs of Allen, Garnett, Pierce, and Rondo.
The one exception, diversifying: One trade the Celtics might be able to make without blowing up their playoffs hopes is moving Ray Allen for two rotation players of a lesser quality. Shooting is an easy skill set to find, even if it's not as potent as Allen. And more depth and versatility among the lineup might give the Celtics just enough punch.
Atlantic Links: Celtics, Raptors, Sixers
A round-up of the latest news out of the Atlantic Division….
- Steve Pagliuca appeared on WEEI's Mut and Merloni Show, and Alex Speier has transcibed a few of the comments made by the Celtics co-owner. Pagliuca discussed Paul Pierce, Danny Ainge, and the team's financial flexibility, among other topics.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com doesn't put too much stock in rumors of the Celtics' interest in Pau Gasol.
- The Raptors don't plan to sign anyone to a 10-day contract, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Dwight Howard is the only acquisition worth breaking up the 76ers young core for, and there's no way Philadelphia will land him, writes Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sheridan expect the Sixers to be relatively quiet at this year's trade deadline, with an eye toward the offseason.
- The 76ers still need to find a consistent go-to guy, says Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Odds & Ends: Billups, Alston, Prince, Mavs
On this day seven years ago, Smush Parker was waived by the Suns, and it looked like his NBA career may be nearing an end. Parker bounced back though, signing with the Lakers and starting nearly every game for Los Angeles in 2005/06 and '06/07. Parker has been out of the NBA since 2008, but he's still playing professional basketball, having signed today with Venezuelan team Guaros de Lara (hat tip to Sportando). Here are a few more of today's odds and ends…
- Following his season-ending achilles injury, Chauncey Billups told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that he'd like to return to the Clippers next season to take care of "unfinished business."
- Rafer Alston, who recently signed with the NBA's D-League, spoke to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv about his comeback attempt. Alston on the possibility of playing for his hometown Knicks: "If it happens, trust me, I’ll be like a kid in a candy story. I’ll feel like I won the lottery if I get an chance to play at home."
- Tayshaun Prince has no regrets about signing a long-term deal to stay with the Pistons, says Terry Foster of the Detroit News.
- Don't expect the Grizzlies to sign or trade for anyone in the next few weeks, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, noting that the team still needs to get below the tax line.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News would be surprised to see the Mavericks make a move at the trade deadline, but says they'll have plenty of money to spend this summer.
- Greg Stiemsma, whose contract was guaranteed yesterday by the Celtics, has taken an unusual road to Boston, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explains the Heat's decisions on players with non-guaranteed contracts.