Rumor: Ainge Loves Tyreke Evans
Well, where there's smoke, there's fire. We may have officially passed the point where we can assume that Ainge is "just kicking the tires." I'm ready to believe that Ainge is, indeed, shopping Ray Allen around the league. That doesn't mean it is a given he'll be traded. It just means that if Ainge can get what he feels is good value for him, Ray's days as a Celtic could very well be over soon.
Chad Ford has the following rumors about the Celtics: (Updated with my thoughts between each rumor)
While the Celtics have shot down a rumor that they were talking to the Suns about an Amare Stoudemire for Rajon Rondo swap … we keep hearing their name more and more in conjunction with a top-to-mid first-round draft pick -- a sign that Danny Ainge must see someone he likes up high.
While various sources have different players pegged, there seems to be some consensus that one player in particular -- Memphis' Tyreke Evans -- is an Ainge favorite.
Interesting. Here is Tyreke's page on Draft Express. I've been hearing about Evans since his junior year of high school, so you know he's got bigtime talent. He didn't exactly light the world on fire in Memphis though. In that way he sort of sounds like Rondo (who struggled in the system at Kentucky).
If the Celtics are going to get Evans, they'll have to get somewhere in the top 10, most likely the top five.
The Grizzlies, Thunder and Wizards all have picks in the top five and have been open to swapping their picks. While it's doubtful that Rondo is their bait, Ray Allen and his expiring contract could be.
I'm very happy to hear that Rondo isn't the main trade bait here. Call me a fanboy if you want, but I really think he's going to be special for many years to come and I just don't want to part with him.
The Celtics could trade Allen to Memphis for a combination of Darko Milicic, Greg Buckner and Marko Jaric. That could save the Grizzlies a little money now and a lot of money next year … but that seems like a stretch. The Grizzlies don't need Allen and I'm sure he wouldn't be thrilled to play there.
I think Ford has a good take on this. We've heard that Memphis has talked to us about the 2nd pick but I'm not sure Ray fits what they're trying to do there unless they flip him to someone else. Besides, 2 seems high for Evans in a draft where everyone has their sights on Rubio and Thabeet (after Griffin of course). I wouldn't mind a flyer on Darko, but not at the cost of Ray.
The Thunder aren't great partners either. They don't really have any bad contracts and while Allen would give them a nice veteran perimeter presence, they're not giving up the No. 3 pick in the draft to get him.
Agree. The Thunder don't need to dump salary. It makes more sense to hang onto the pick and keep building a good young core.
The Kings have also reached out to the Celtics and would be willing to deal the No. 4 pick if they could get Rondo in return. The Celtics would likely want more than just the No. 4 pick for Rondo -- and the Kings might be willing to throw in either Jason Thompson or Spencer Hawes to make it happen.
I know Kings fans are very excited about Thompson and Hawes, so I'm not sure the Kings would pull the trigger on this, even for Rondo. I'm a Rondo fanboy, so I'm not crazy about this either. However, if you are willing to give up Rondo, getting a top pick and a top big man prospect is a nice return. Then Ainge is left looking for solutions at point guard.
That leaves the Wizards, who are really intriguing. Allen is a fit in Washington. The Wizards are a veteran team that is looking for another piece to make it a contender. Allen also is in the last year of his contract, which means the Wizards could get some long-term cap relief if they put together the right deal. Would trading Allen for Etan Thomas, Mike James, Darius Songaila and the No. 5 pick make sense for the Wizards and Celtics?
This actually seems like the most "reasonable" idea, but it has plenty of flaws as well. What I don't understand from the Wizards standpoint is what they do with Ray. Butler is their best player so unless they are looking to trade someone else, Ray would be coming off the bench. (Never mind, it looks like Butler plays the 3 spot a lot and Ray would fit into the starting lineup nicely)
From the Celtics perspective, it isn't so bad - depending on what they do with the guys they get. Thomas and James are both expiring contracts that Ainge can either flip in this offseason or move at the trade deadline (with Scal and Tony Allen?).
The Wizards don't really save much money in the long run. Basically they give up their pick for a one year rental of Ray Allen and knocking a year off Songila's contract.
If Boston can't find a workable deal in the top five, several other teams including the Nets (11), Pistons (15), Bulls (16, 26), Wolves (18), Kings (23) and Grizzlies (27) are open to moving their picks. While those wouldn't be high enough to land Evans, it would get the Celtics a solid pick in the first.
None of these ideas seem ideal. But with some tweaks here or there you never know. I remember being confused by the Ray Allen trade when it happened, but once we landed Kevin Garnett it all made sense. If we do make a move on draft day, it could be to set up a move shortly after. If we make a deal with the Wizards, do we turn around and ship expiring contracts to the Suns for Stoudamire? If we make any deal moving Ray or Rondo, who plays SG or PG for us?
Say one thing for this offseason, it hasn't been boring. We're just a couple weeks away from Draft Night. Buckle in, this could get interesting.
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But Doc Said....
Remember – to major moves this off season!
I like what Ainge is doing here. I’m assuming he’s just “kicking the tires” – seeing what’s available to take advantage of any team dumping talent because of the down economy.
I dont expect any real trade to happen for a top 10 draft pic – I just dont think the number will work with who’d we be willing to give up. But I do see us acquiring a first round pick or two.
As much as i think he's being honest
That is absolutely what he HAS to say. Anything else and he wouldn’t be doing his job.
by beantownboy171 on Jun 12, 2009 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions
All those scenarios are awful :/
Make some crappy trade rumors about other teams please.
maybe if they were going to get blatche or mcgee or butler or jameson back as well, but i hate the idea of trading ray for not one single person that can start!
And let’s be clear, i’m no stranger to exploring any trade possibilities, including those involving Allen, but you have to get a starter in return
Sounds about right
-sw
"I didn't go there with the intentions of getting ejected. I went there with the intentions of just telling Kobe, 'You got to relax. You're hitting the wrong person. Don't you know you're hitting Ron Artest?'" -Ron Artest, 05.06.09
by Steve Weinman on Jun 13, 2009 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Fire Ainge...
….before this happens.
Seriously, I blame Wyc if this happens. If Ainge seriously wants to make this move, Wyc should at least veto it, if not outright fire him for being so stupid.
yea
fire the best gm in the game! we want to fall off the ledge when our big 3 age!!!
Ainge
First, to assume Ainge is the best GM in the game is premature. He’s made some good draft picks and was fairly fortunate that two teams were willing to trade their best players for young talent and contracts in the same year. Very rarely does that happen.
Still, how good of a GM Ainge is is beside the point. The point is, the team is going to be worse than it is now in 2-3 years no matter what Ainge does. That’s not a bad thing. It speaks to how good the team is now: if healthy, they could challenge for the best single season record of all time. If Ainge breaks up the core, the likely result is that the team will stay good, but turn into the 2010 version of the Sacramento Kings: good, but not great. And who cares if we’re good if we’re never going to be great.
Too many people on this board forget how many good teams there have been in this league that not only never won a title, but never even made it to the Finals. To think Ainge is just going to easily parlay this current success into infinite amounts of more success is just plain crazy. Even if he does everything right, it’s unlikely he builds another contender. That’s just sheer probability. We need to ride this out as long as possible.
So Danny's going through his drafting 2's phase, just like Bellichick's tight end phase
a few years ago?
I doubt it. I suspect Evans is a little misdirection Danny’s spreading around the league.
No Ray, No banner 18
Same goes for Rondo.
Ainge needs to improve the team without breaking up the starting 5. Anything less will be a failure.
I think what Danny is doing here is pumping up the value for his friends with high picks, like Sacramento and Minnesota.
Tyreke Evans
Is actually pretty good, but in order to give up Ray Allen they need to get a lot more than just Evans and some bad contracts.
Although...
I’d rather have Gerald Henderson, he’s more likely to contribute right away.
I don’t have any interest either, but I believe both James and Thomas are expiring contracts?
by The Walker Wiggle on Jun 12, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
You're Right
That’s 13 million in expiring contracts, so we could add that to TA and Scal and that’s close to 20 million in expiring contracts. I bet we could get some decent players for those expiring contracts.
say wha now?
why trade a point guard that has everything except a perimeter game for a rookie point guard who has the exact same problem? those are some bad bad bad trade scenarios
Feels Like Misdirection
There seems to be enough smoke billowing that there is actually something brewing beyond just kicking the tires, and Ray Allen might very well be a part of it (like many others, I can’t forget Ainge the player’s comments about aging veterans). But for a 2-guard who can’t shoot? That seems odd.
Still, it would be good time to sell high on Ray IF you get the right package in return. Maybe there’s a three-way deal that makes more sense than any of Ford’s straight up scenarios.
by TremendousUpsidePotential on Jun 12, 2009 5:27 PM EDT reply actions
Ford buried the best deal...
If fans are worried about the future of the franchise – Rondo to the Kings for the #4 (a shot to get Rubio or worst case Evans) and Jason Thompson.
I’ve got no interest in trading Ray Allen for a bench log jam and two prime buy out candidates (Mike James and Etan Thomas) or career under-achiever Andray Blatche.
by The Walker Wiggle on Jun 12, 2009 5:30 PM EDT reply actions
I don't see the infatuation with Tyreke Evans.
he’s more scorer than shooter and more combo guard than straight PG or SG. Trading Ray would be great only if the quality return is there and I don’t see Evans as the cornerstone of any trade for Ray as being anywhere near good enough return.
The one thing reported in Ford’s blurb is that he said:
The Kings have also reached out to the Celtics and would be willing to deal the No. 4 pick if they could get Rondo in return.
I have been pushing a trade with the Kings for a while now and thought so because of money problems with the Maloofs and their working relationship with Danny last season. Ainge kind of bailed them out with his two deals he did last year sending millions of dollars the Kings way. In my ancestral background, if you do a big favor for a Las Vegas hotel owner……yeah, you usually will get a favor in return.
I say explore the possibilities with Sactown Danny and if you get the number 4 look at either Harden or Hill. Hill might just be quick enough and mobile enough to play the 3 as well as the 4 and has a decent mid range game and is a great rebounder. Harden is just a pure scoring shooter with a beautiful shooting form.
the flash
people made the same comments about dwyane wade when he came out in the draft too. the reality is that danny would only do this deal if he sees evans, or somebody else, panning out to be a perennial all star and franchise player. he is not stupid.
People said....
Adam Morrison was the next Larry Bird too. That doesn’t necessarily make it so.
I also never even hinted that Danny was stupid. I happen to think he’s an exceptional GM but let’s face it, some of the players he has fallen in love with over the years haven’t exactly been fabulous (Yi, Swift, Telfair) and he has traded away some excellent talent (Roy, Gay). So, I will rely on my own opinion of the kid.
The 4th pick would give us a shot at Rubio.
Also the option to move up to 2 or 3 for a middling cost.
Whereas, there’s no chance he’s slips to the 5th.
by The Walker Wiggle on Jun 12, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions
P.S.
This:
“In my ancestral background, if you do a big favor for a Las Vegas hotel owner……yeah, you usually will get a favor in return.”
Cracked me up, Nick.
by The Walker Wiggle on Jun 12, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
No Way Sacramento does this
why would sacramento give up their top pick and one of their young studs for rondo? this makes no sense. Rondo’s numbers are inflated because of Allen/Pierce/Garnett. No way this is happening!!
I really think Draft Hype should be classified as a drug.
Case in point: people, lots of em, think trading Ray Allen or Rajon Rondo for some rookie in a watered down draft is a good idea. If these last 3 seasons haven’t taught you that veterans win titles, nothing will.
Even the greatest rookie talents (think LBJ and D Howard) take several seasons of aging before they’re ready to compete on the level that Ray, Paul and Rondo are currently playing at.
Allen to the bench in Washington?
He would start at the two. Butler plays the three; the only reason he was playing the two for stretches throughout this season was due to injuries to other players. For Washington, this would be fairly decent — they plug a big hole at the two and get rid of a ton of baggage salary. Arenas-Allen-Butler-Jamison-Haywood is a pretty damn good starting five, especially in the East.
As for the Celtics, this strikes me as a rebuilding move. It’s not a “win within our championship window” move, it’s a move for the future. Allen is obviously declining, with torrid stretches in the playoffs interposed between equally cold stretches, and of the current core, is probably the most disposable player. That said, he is a cold-blooded shooter, and Evans isn’t going to pan out into a player of similar caliber for at least a few years.
All that considered, if KG comes back near-100%, then Boston can probably beat Orlando in the playoffs (a KG/Powe-less Celtics took Orlando to seven). Cleveland is more iffy depending on how their frontcourt turns out after the offseason (with Varajeo opting out and Wallace thinking about retiring), but I’d give Boston a solid chance of getting back. All this makes it more interesting why Ainge would opt for a rebuilding move this soon, especially in such a weak draft.
All of those trades suck...
The Kings one is the only one I’d consider, and that’s only for Rubio, not for Evans.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
The Memphis trade
but also involving the #2 pick somehow, and probably also involving Rondo somehow, would get us Rubio. It would take a third team though, since (1) Memphis already has cap room and thus Ray’s expiring $19 million (gulp) isn’t too valuable to them, and (2) why do they want Rondo?—if they don’t like Conley (I think they do), they should just take Rubio themselves.
I had thought of the Memphis idea: with Jaric as backup PG (throw Rubio into the fire right away), you could play Eddie at the 2 much easier. Plus, Darko gives us a backup big.
There are too many variables for me to think the whole thing through, but the Memphis deal has some interesting aspects, if Danny goes the blockbuster route.
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
The Wizards trade could work with additions
Do something like add Golden State.
James and Thomas’ last year contracts are sent there for Crawford and Wright or Randolph. Just to make sure the Celtics have a starting SG that can be the number three scorer as they wait for the rookie
If we’re in it to win it all next year (and we damned well better be, or KG and Pierce will riot), then trading Ray for a rookie and assorted dregs is stupid.
If you’re going to trade Ray at all, the best looking possibility out there, to my eyes, is Golden State. They have too many wing guys making too much money for too many years.
I think they’d bite at saving money by giving us two of Ellis, Crawford, Maggette, Jackson.
My preference would be Ellis and Jackson for Ray. I think that’d be a slam dunk for us. Backup point would be sewed up, as Ellis can play that, and he can play the 2 too, and Jackson could play both the 2 and the 3, giving PP his backup (Maggette would work as a substitute for Jackson too).
We’d still need to get the backup big, but that can certainly be done with the MLE or whatever Danny wants to do with our other expirings.
yeah, that's a heckuva thought, Mencius
Very interesting stuff. I’ll cosign no kidding’s sentiment.
-sw
"I didn't go there with the intentions of getting ejected. I went there with the intentions of just telling Kobe, 'You got to relax. You're hitting the wrong person. Don't you know you're hitting Ron Artest?'" -Ron Artest, 05.06.09
by Steve Weinman on Jun 13, 2009 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions
ellis and azubuike would be nice but i dont really want to trade ray
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
by remembering9ergods on Jun 13, 2009 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Ray Allen is a ridiculously good player
Can we please stop throwing his name out there, he his a huge part of what makes this team great. Ray fits in so well here, but is not a marquis guy on a lot of teams, this means no matter what the C’s get ripped off in a trade including him. I want him to be here nailing 3’s winning rings and hitting buzzer-beaters for years to come, the C’s are drastically better with him.
While we’re at it, leave Rondo alone too, we have something special in him, he stays!
Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong. - The Babe, The Sandlot
Are you guys really that bored?
We are going to trade a championship winning PG for a rookie when the team has 1—3 years left? Trade away our only SG for a rookie who hasn’t done anything? Can I have some of what you are smoking please. Remember by trading Ray Allen, it doesnt give them much in cap space to sign people anyway since they are a luxury tax payer.
You guys keep talking about getting rid of an expiring contract, but do you want Eddie House to run your point and be your SG?
Just get Artest with the MLE and we are good to go (if he is willing to take a paycut)
NO!!!
trading ray is the only way we get a top 5 pick and that would be taking a step backwards.
first off, Doc doesnt play rookies.
second, we would go from needing backup PG, SF and C to needing a starting SG, backup PG, SF and C because besides hawes, thompson none of those players are worth a damn.
im gonna be all up on you like a spider monkey!
by remembering9ergods on Jun 13, 2009 12:23 AM EDT reply actions
In that particular picture,
Evans is shown losing a 2009 NCAA Tournament game that propelled the Missouri Tigers to the elite eight!
Don’t know what it is about that particular team, but I felt compelled to make note of this. Good photo choice, Jeff! :-D
-sw
"I didn't go there with the intentions of getting ejected. I went there with the intentions of just telling Kobe, 'You got to relax. You're hitting the wrong person. Don't you know you're hitting Ron Artest?'" -Ron Artest, 05.06.09
It’s going to be interesting to see how blatantly teams will make decisions based on their finances. Just kind of thinking out loud, but say in that hypothetical Washington deal, it’s more like a 4 way deal in which Tyson Chandler goes to Boston, Etan Thomas goes to NO, and a team like Memphis (ie under the cap—obviously not a lot of teams here fit the bill) gets paid the magic $3M to take on Songaila or James. Maybe some picks and minimum type salaries are thrown in to work things out.
If the Hornets really want to shave salary now and to heck with everything else, that would save them almost $5M. They’d still need to cut a few million (and fill out the rest of the roster at the same time) to get under the luxury tax, but it’d be a start. Not sure if it would be worth it for Memphis (or some such team) but they have to hit a minimum salary requirement if memory serves; not sure what that would be but they get a serviceable player and lower their requirement by $3M. The Cs would end up with Chandler, 5th pick and James/Songaila.
Anyway, I’m not really saying that’s a good way to go or not, but if the financial element starts trumping other factors it’ll be interesting to see if bizarro deals are made. I’m not sure how realistic that is, but a lot of people seem to think the tanking economy is going to drive a lot of things. The fact that New Orleans already tried to just dump Chandler is probably a decent sign of things to come, but I’m not totally convinced.
Ray
Hey Ray, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
B.S.
They don’t call him Chad FRAUD for nothin.
Back from a tour around the SBNation.
… and it’s worth mentioning that three out of three Wizards fans agree that #5 and expiring deals are too much to offer for a thirty-four year old Ray Allen in a contract year.
And though the majority of Kings fans like Rondo, and can back up the rumor with some extra Westphal related anecdotal evidence, they aren’t inclined to give up much more than #4 and either Garcia or Nocioni. They almost to a man prefer to keep their Hawes/Thompson front court together.
by The Walker Wiggle on Jun 13, 2009 2:58 AM EDT reply actions
Golden State would be the ideal trade partner
should ainge decide that Evans is the next big thing. Personally I think we should wait until the trade deadline before trading ray, more value for his expiring deal plus the buyout possiblity would be high, but I’m with Danny with trying to extend the window of the celtics.
Golden State has the 7th overall pick and a bunch of players in Nellie’s doghouse. Between Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Jamal Crawford, Corey Magette, Andris Biedrins, the C’s can gove Golden State and its whacked out front office(ever read kawakami’s blog?) some massive salary relief and a pro’s pro for 2 of the players I previously mentioned and the 7th overall pick, where Evans could slip since many teams are infatuated with Stephon Curry.
Hell maybe Danny could find a way to snag Anthony Randolph in the deal,…..
ainge loves tyreke evans
trading ray allen is not going to make the celtics a championship team now if they make a blockbuster trade lets say ray ray and baby davis for dwayne wade id say lets do it ….
I hate all of those trades
"It will be fun watching the Lakers get those balloons down one at a time." - Bill Russell
by silvershamrocker on Jun 13, 2009 11:32 AM EDT reply actions
























