The Brandan Wright Situation
Brandan Wright is widely considered to be the third or fourth best talent in this draft yet he might be available at the Celtics #5 pick. He has All-Star potential and could be a franchise big man. That being said, he also doesn't seem to have the aggressive attitude you would want from a player of his caliber and he seems to coast through games. In the end, he could be the next great big man (especially under the tutelage of Clifford Ray) or he could be Drew Gooden (or worse, Donyell Marshall without much range on his shot). So if he falls in our laps, do we take him and consider ourselves lucky to grab a rare talent or do we look to move him?
Granted, moving him is easier said than done. The most likely trade partners are the 76ers, Atlanta (Billy Knight is a huge fan) and Charlotte (they are looking for post scoring and the 'Cats can't get enough of UNC grads) but finding the right deal might be hard to pull off.
The first option is just to deal the #5 for multiple picks. The Bobcats could offer #8 and #22. The Sixers have #12, #21, #30. The two problems here are that you are adding nothing but youth (which isn't going to thrill Paul Pierce) and none of the other players in the draft are more of a sure thing than Wright. In the end, you are dealing a top ranked question mark for lower ranked question marks. On the bright side, the law of averages is on your side and the odds of you picking a winner will be a bit better if you have more chances. These deals are fine, especially if the C's brass isn't sold on Wright, but if you think he's the real deal, you'd probably want something more.
"More" usually means players than can help out immediately but once you start adding them into the mix, the luxury tax comes into play. Unless the Celtics can dump Wally Szczerbiak, they won't be able to take on any players who become free agents after next season. Guys like Gerald Wallace or Josh Smith might be interesting targets but we would never be able to re-sign them and stay under the luxury tax. Marvin Williams and Raymond Felton would work but I doubt their teams are willing to deal them quite yet while I sincerely hope the Celtics wouldn't be interested in Shelden Williams or Adam Morrison.
The obvious reply is "Well, just add Wally to the deal for expiring deals/cap space." Unfortunately, if you add Wally, you are going to have to face diminished returns. The Bobcats aren't going to give us the #8 and Gerald Wallace AND take on our worst contract. If the Hawks agree to that sort of deal (they have Ty Lue and Lo Wright's expiring deals), then you really have to start to wonder just how much of a headcase Josh Smith is if they are giving him away like that. Odds are that adding Wally means you are taking back a worse player, like Sean May or Josh Childress. This is essentially what we did last year and I can't say that I'm thrilled with the prospect of hisory repeating itself. The Bulls might throw their hat into the ring to get Yi Jianlian but would they offer more than the #9 and Thabo Sefalosha? But is Thabo really enough to give up Wright?
One deal that could be a possibility is Wally and #5 for Mike Bibby and #10. The Celtics improve upon Wally and drop five spots where they could still get a very good prospect. If Wright or Horford don't fall to #5, I would consider this deal but the idea of giving up a shot at Wright (and likely ending up with Ainge's fave Al Thornton) for the swap of declining players isn't thrilling. Also, I'm not sure what interest the Kings would have in Wally since they already have Kevin Martin and Ron Artest at the swing spots. In the end, some deals is going to have to come out of nowhere to really offer the Celtics a legit return for the potential of Brandan Wright. So while my first choice would be to work a deal with Wright but if the best we're getting is #8 and #22 or Josh Childress and #11, the Celtics might have to roll the dice on Brandan's potential.
The first option is just to deal the #5 for multiple picks. The Bobcats could offer #8 and #22. The Sixers have #12, #21, #30. The two problems here are that you are adding nothing but youth (which isn't going to thrill Paul Pierce) and none of the other players in the draft are more of a sure thing than Wright. In the end, you are dealing a top ranked question mark for lower ranked question marks. On the bright side, the law of averages is on your side and the odds of you picking a winner will be a bit better if you have more chances. These deals are fine, especially if the C's brass isn't sold on Wright, but if you think he's the real deal, you'd probably want something more.
"More" usually means players than can help out immediately but once you start adding them into the mix, the luxury tax comes into play. Unless the Celtics can dump Wally Szczerbiak, they won't be able to take on any players who become free agents after next season. Guys like Gerald Wallace or Josh Smith might be interesting targets but we would never be able to re-sign them and stay under the luxury tax. Marvin Williams and Raymond Felton would work but I doubt their teams are willing to deal them quite yet while I sincerely hope the Celtics wouldn't be interested in Shelden Williams or Adam Morrison. The obvious reply is "Well, just add Wally to the deal for expiring deals/cap space." Unfortunately, if you add Wally, you are going to have to face diminished returns. The Bobcats aren't going to give us the #8 and Gerald Wallace AND take on our worst contract. If the Hawks agree to that sort of deal (they have Ty Lue and Lo Wright's expiring deals), then you really have to start to wonder just how much of a headcase Josh Smith is if they are giving him away like that. Odds are that adding Wally means you are taking back a worse player, like Sean May or Josh Childress. This is essentially what we did last year and I can't say that I'm thrilled with the prospect of hisory repeating itself. The Bulls might throw their hat into the ring to get Yi Jianlian but would they offer more than the #9 and Thabo Sefalosha? But is Thabo really enough to give up Wright?
One deal that could be a possibility is Wally and #5 for Mike Bibby and #10. The Celtics improve upon Wally and drop five spots where they could still get a very good prospect. If Wright or Horford don't fall to #5, I would consider this deal but the idea of giving up a shot at Wright (and likely ending up with Ainge's fave Al Thornton) for the swap of declining players isn't thrilling. Also, I'm not sure what interest the Kings would have in Wally since they already have Kevin Martin and Ron Artest at the swing spots. In the end, some deals is going to have to come out of nowhere to really offer the Celtics a legit return for the potential of Brandan Wright. So while my first choice would be to work a deal with Wright but if the best we're getting is #8 and #22 or Josh Childress and #11, the Celtics might have to roll the dice on Brandan's potential.
