The State of the Celtics
Recently Danny Ainge went on record explaining that: 
Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson were untouchable.
I actually believe Ainge when he says this but you always have to remember that while Danny has always been forthcoming, he hasn't always been exactly honest. Still, I don't think Pierce is on the block and, while he won't hang up on any legit inquiries for Big Al, Danny isn't going to be the one doing the dialing. The draft board is (in no particular order): Horford, Brewer, Noah, Yi, Jeff Green, Brandan Wright, Julian Wright, Al Thornton.
(Ainge supposedly love Al Thornton so we might trade down to get him and pick up another piece.) So... With the first round pick (#5) and the second round pick (which should net us a good player) the Celtics will be right at the luxury tax line. This means we won't be using the MLE to add a player and probably won't use the LLE. Since Big Al is due a big raise, we likely will let Theo Ratliff's contract expire. Using it to bring a player who's signed for more than this next season means the C's would have to pay the lux tax which isn't happening. So the only hope is dealing: #5, Wally, West, Green, Gomes, Perkins, Tony Allen.
The rest of the roster is untouchable or just throw-ins in terms of trade value (Telfair, Ray, Powe, Scalabrine). The wild card is the Minnesota pick that is owed to us but that pick might not ever come our way so it's value is little more than a throw-in. I'm working on a plan but right now, I have to say that Danny has his work cut out for him. Odds are that we are going to have to roll the dice with a headcase (Josh Smith or Ron Artest) or maybe an possibly washed up guy like Bibby.
Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson were untouchable. I actually believe Ainge when he says this but you always have to remember that while Danny has always been forthcoming, he hasn't always been exactly honest. Still, I don't think Pierce is on the block and, while he won't hang up on any legit inquiries for Big Al, Danny isn't going to be the one doing the dialing. The draft board is (in no particular order): Horford, Brewer, Noah, Yi, Jeff Green, Brandan Wright, Julian Wright, Al Thornton.
(Ainge supposedly love Al Thornton so we might trade down to get him and pick up another piece.) So... With the first round pick (#5) and the second round pick (which should net us a good player) the Celtics will be right at the luxury tax line. This means we won't be using the MLE to add a player and probably won't use the LLE. Since Big Al is due a big raise, we likely will let Theo Ratliff's contract expire. Using it to bring a player who's signed for more than this next season means the C's would have to pay the lux tax which isn't happening. So the only hope is dealing: #5, Wally, West, Green, Gomes, Perkins, Tony Allen.
The rest of the roster is untouchable or just throw-ins in terms of trade value (Telfair, Ray, Powe, Scalabrine). The wild card is the Minnesota pick that is owed to us but that pick might not ever come our way so it's value is little more than a throw-in. I'm working on a plan but right now, I have to say that Danny has his work cut out for him. Odds are that we are going to have to roll the dice with a headcase (Josh Smith or Ron Artest) or maybe an possibly washed up guy like Bibby.
