Can Danny?

Paul Pierce wants an All-Star. Paul Pierce has a player option on his contract after this season. If the Celtics wants Paul Pierce to be happy, they better do as he says. All that being what it is, who exactly can the Celtics get? Who is on the block and how much would the Celtics have to give up in order to get them? And most importantly, who is actually going to help us win? These are a few names that we could look to acquire to appease Mr. Pierce.
To start, though, it needs to be emphasized that these guys are The Touchables. Currently off-limit guys like Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Shaq and the like aren't considered for this list.

Lamar Odom: My much hoped-for Lamar for Wally deal doesn't seem very likely now that the Lake Show signed Vlad Rad. I can't see any team thinking that Wally and Radmonovic and Kwame Brown could equal a legitimate frontcourt. If we wait until August and deal Ratliff, it would likely take a couple (if not three) of our young guys along with Theo to bring Lamar back to New England. What combination of West, Perkins, or Gomes would make it happen? I think we might be able to work something out but it seems very unlikely.

Shawn Marion: Marion's pretty much lived on the trading block but I don't really see us being able to get him unless, again, we give up a couple of young guys in a deal with Theo. Even then, I don't really see us having a deal that would interest the Suns. While he is "touchable", I don't think he attainable for what we have to offer. The Suns are looking to win before Nash falls apart so I doubt they'd be interested in our young guys.

Allen Iverson: The bottom line of the overhyped megadeal is that we'd have to give up too much for too small of a window of success.

Chris Webber: I'm actually a fan of Webber, especially since his contract only has two years left on it. We could move Wally and Theo for him or make a deal for him and Dalembert. It's possible but unlikely and, like the Iverson deal, gives us too small a window of opportunity for the deal to make sense. Unless we can absolutely steal him from Philly and not give up any of our youngs would I be interested. (i.e, a three team deal of Wally to the Cavs, Theo, Gooden, and the Minny 1st round pick to Philly, Webber to us) As for the Haitian Sensation, Sam Dalembert, he has a trade kicker which means dealing for him makes his bad contract even worse. He's more of a impact on the ledger than the court so we can't really afford to get him.

Baron Davis: He is a borderline Untouchable now that Derek Fisher is in Utah. He's also unnecessary now that we have Telfair. Pretty much doesn't make sense at all for either team to make this deal. Likewise for Jason Richardson.

Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy: On the bright side, we'd get rid of Scalabrine in this deal (He, Wally, and Minnesota #1 for Troy and Mike). On the downside, we get two guys who I believe are vastly overpaid. That being said, we'd get two starters for one. Granted, two starters are coming from a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 11 years but still... I see a deal like this being fairly possible which scares me. I think Murphy is overrated and Dunleavy has been a bad pick in a terrible draft, which is a feat in its own right. It's not a horrific deal though. It would make us a solid playoff team but I'm not sure if we would have the defense on the court or the flexibility to make any more deals to put us over the top.

Carlos Boozer: Ah, Utah. A team that whines about spending too much money and then trades for Derek Fisher, a seven million per year backup PG. I can't imagine they are dumb enough to move AK47 but Boozer and Okur are likely attainable. Since they are set with Andrei at the small forward spot, my guess is that we'd have to swing a deal with Ratliff's deal and a young player. Boozer averaged 20 and 10 in his last month of action but the injuries were a problem. Okur was fairly inconsistent but would be suited to be the third star (which he would be in Boston). I'm torn on Carlos but if we could get him for Theo and one or two of our lesser young 'uns, I'd have to consider the deal. Okur might only cost us one of our young aong with Theo which I'd do if it was Perkins or Allen.

Kenyon Martin: The first thing people say about Kenyon is that he's a jerk. Maybe. The second thing they say is that he needs an uptempo team and a PG to help him reach him potential. Ideally, that's what we have. Sebastian Telfair is no Jason Kidd but he's a true point guard and the C's will hopefully try to get out on the break more this next season. The next thing that people say is that Kenyon is overpaid and overinjured which is true and the reason why we shouldn't consider dealing for him.

Antawn Jamison: Washington needs to deal the other Antoine but I'm not sure if we have anything of interest. Furthermore, I'm not interested in Jamison. I just listed this here to point out that I think improving upon Jamison is the move that the Wizards need to make if they want to do more than just compete for the second round.

Antoine Walker: WHAT?! It won't happen, nor would I want it to, but Antoine has chemistry with Pierce and his contract isn't as bad as I once thought. It has a team option in the fourth year so it might only have three more years for less than 30 million on it. He also would be cheap to acquire. But, I repeat, it won't happen, nor would I want it to.

Rashard Lewis: A Wally and West for Lewis and Swift deal could work but it is a big risk for Boston. Will Rashard resign? Is Swift any good? Most importantly, how does it make us any better? It's another high school project and sub-All-Star SF so I can't see it being a deal that would make Pierce feel any more comfortable with our chances.

Steve Francis: No. Honestly, there's nothing that really interests me on the NY roster.

Richard Jefferson: We'd likely have to give up Wally and one of our youngs for Richard. Again, I don't see him being a difference maker. We'd be better with him instead of Wally but not THAT much better.

Jamaal Magloire: The rumor is that Magloire is headed to Washington but all I can see them offering is Antonio Daniels and either Etan Thomas or Brendan "Don't Call Me Brenda" Haywood. We have the talent to match that deal but we don't have the smaller contracts to make the deal feasible. We'd have to include Bobby Simmons in the deal and give up Wally, Scalabrine, and one of our young guys. I'm not sure if Milwaukee, who's looking for a backup defensive big man and a perimeter defender would be interested in that offer nor am I convinced that Magloire, who could leave via free agency after the season, is worth it.

Larry Hughes: Hughes is probably the worst choice out of the lot. We don't really need a shooting guard, let alone one that is currently struggling to gel with a star and usually misses a couple dozen games a year. Larry should be dealt but my guess is that Denver is the most likely destination.

Zach Randolph: The Celtics have an inside track on scouting Zach with ex-Blazers Ratliff and Telfair on the squad so we should know exactly how good he is and how questionable his attitude is. The question would be whether they were really all that interested in Wally since they have Martell Webster at the small forward spot. Whether or not Zach is overpaid or not doesn't even factor into this discussion because I just don't see us being able to convince Portland's trade-happy interim GM to make another deal with us.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim: I've never been a fan of 'Reef. He's not bad but I just don't see him making anyone a winner. Unless we can get him for scraps, I wouldn't bother.

Josh Smith: OK, Josh might not be "touchable" but I think he's the perfect fit. I'd be willing to move Perkins and Allen or West to get him. The kid's going to be a star. I think he, Pierce, and Telfair running the wings would be a sight to see.

Conclusion : Getting a high caliber All-Star is going to be pretty damn difficult for Danny. Odds are, we'd be better off waiting until midseason when our young guys will, hopefully, have shown something and Wally will be healthy. If we make a move now, my guess is that it would be for a power forward ala Boozer or Murphy. If we deal a young guy, I think it will most likely be Gerald Green, which I think would be a regrettable mistake. It should be interesting to see what Danny can pull off because, as he said, he isn't done dealing yet. (I'm not sure if that was a threat or a promise but either way, I'm on the edge of my seat).