FanPost

The Rockets can still offer us a fantastic deal for Rondo (non-crazy, CBA-tested, trade)

Before I start, I just want to layout a foundation: If you're in the camp of "Don't trade Rondo if you can't get a marquee player or prospect in return," then this isn't the thread for you. However, if you're in the camp of "We're rebuilding, letting Rondo go to FA is playing with fire, and drafting Smart to come off the bench is just dumb," then read on.

As we know, before we even speculate about any Rondo trades, the only realistic options for trade partners are going to be the few teams that: A) Need a point guard, B) Offer realistic and compelling reasons that Rondo would re-sign, and C) Actually have something they can offer. That list is actually rather short, in my eyes. In fact, I believe the list to be down to only LA and Houston. Which brings me to my trade, and I'll just lay it out first, and discuss the reasons why each team would actually do it:

3-team trade between Boston/Houston/Philadelphia

Boston gets:

New Orleans 2015 1st round pick (via Houston)

Nick Johnson

Terrence Jones

Patrick Beverly

Non-Guaranteed contracts

Houston gets:

Rajon Rondo

Brandon Bass

Phil Pressey

Philadelphia gets:

Gerald Wallace

Clint Capela

2017 Houston 1st round pick

2015 2nd round pick from New York via Houston

2015 2nd round pick from Washington via Boston

Here is how the trade would work with the CBA: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=o7pyve4

*A few notes, Alonzo Gee, Scott Hopson, and Josh Powell all have non-guaranteed contracts, which need to be included to make the contracts add up, which can then be waived by the Celtics. Also, Capela and Johnson can't be traded until later this month, because they both signed on the 23rd, so D-Mo is being plugged into the Philly trade to replace CC's contract to make the trade go through (Adding Johnson's contract would not cause this trade to fail).

So now for why each team would be motivated to participate in above trade, starting with Boston:

We don't get a marquee player, but this trade is about more than just that; It's about freeing up roster flexibility to suit our rebuild, it's about getting assets, and it's about getting out from under veteran dead weight contracts.

So let's look at the assets: We get the NO 1st rounder, Nick Johnson, Terrence Jones, and Patrick Beverly. If you ask me, this alone, is already a HAUL for us. But for those of you still rolling your eyes at this not being worth Rondo and Bass, let me elaborate...

That NO 1st rounder is only protected for 1-3 and 20-30, and given how stacked the Western Conference is, that pick is all but guaranteed to become a lottery pick.

Nick Johnson, while drafted in the 2nd round, for those off you that have been paying attention, and watched the Summer League, this guy is a stud and should've been picked in the 1st round. He could be groomed in the D-League for the beginning part of the year, while the C's look to unload a wing, or waive Thornton after the trade deadline.

Terrence Jones, may seem redundant given that we already have Sully and KO, but forget about that for now and just focus on him as a player and an asset; He's a former 1st round pick, who last season in his first ever getting consistent minutes, he averaged 12.1ppg/6.9rpg/1.3bpg. He's young, talented, crazy athletic, and versatile enough to play Center as he did plenty of when Asik went down, making him usable in our rotation.

Patrick Beverly, really shouldn't need any explanation. He showed in the playoffs that he can be a key contributor in meaningful minutes, and the kid plays HARD, dare I say, harder than AB. He may not be super talented, but his work ethic on the defensive end, alone, makes him a really valuable piece.

Now, that's just the assets... But let's look even further into this trade, at the flexibility our lineup will now have to give the guys the minutes that need to be getting them:

No Rondo, now means that we can hand over the keys to our #1 pick, Marcus Smart, which to me, is the biggest win in trading Rondo. For a team that is rebuilding, which the C's most certainly are, Marcus Smart is simply just too talented, and gifted of a player to have coming off your bench. I cannot understate how much of a win it will be for us to have this guy running 30+ minutes every night for us.

No Bass, another no-brainer that frees us to hand over the reigns to Sully and KO, and find out for real, what we have with these two. Terrence Jones can split minutes at 4 and 5, as should KO.

No Gerald Wallace, who wasn't going to quietly sit on the end of our bench. He was already moping last year, and getting rid of him and that awful contract, is the consolation prize for not getting that marquee player that you all want to get for Rondo. This means more minutes for Green, Turner, and more importantly, James Young, and we need to be playing all of those guys.

We get our assets, we get our flexibility, we get a trade-exception, we get out of dead-weight contracts... As a C's fan, I love all of these things.

Moving on to Houston: I really don't think we need to over-explain their incentives for doing this trade, because they get Rondo.

Yes, my trade has them giving up a lot of assets, but still, I'm proposing a scenario in which they manage to get one of the best players in the league, and perhaps one of the best fits for them on that team, and not even exchange any one asset that's even remotely close to as valuable as Rajon playoff-machine Rondo. This, after they gave away Parsons for nothing, gave away their first rounder for nothing, and gave away Asik for what I think is a less valuable asset.

Also, don't discount Brandon Bass in this deal. A guy that can hit the jump shot with consistency. Can bang the boards. Is a great help defender, which Houston needs. And already has familiarity playing with Howard, from back in Orlando. The guy is a solid all-around player that plays hard, and just doesn't get his due, imo. Putting Bass in that frontcourt, alongside Howard and Ariza, makes them one of the more potent Defensive frontcourts in the league, imo.

Yes, Houston giving up that many players, will be left with a thin bench. But they'll still be keeping D-Mo and Troy Daniels, two major bench players for them these last playoffs. Plus, we are giving them a player, in Phil Pressey, who has shown that he's at least a solid backup PG in this league. Houston would just need to go out and add a few Veteran minimum contracts, maybe a Elton Brand or Jordan Crawford, or any other vets that would be looking to play a role for a team that would obviously be legit contenders, just like Houston would definitely be now with Rondo.

If I'm a Houston fan, if it ever became evident that there was a possible trade out there that would somehow save face over this disaster of an offseason that they've had, and still land one of the few marquee players in the league, I'm hoping Morey does it without even thinking twice.

Finally, Philadelphia: Why do they help Boston and Houston facilitate this trade?

Simple, they're in full on Draft Pick collecting mode. And given their glut of cap space, and the fact that they're almost certainly not going to be FA players next season, taking on Wallace's contract for these next 2 years isn't the burden to them as it is to everyone else. In fact, one could argue that adding him will help serve their cause of tanking, by guaranteeing subpar, or even non-existent play at whichever position Wallace will play for them. And they do this, at the cost of nothing but getting 2 1st-rounders, and 2 2nd rounders. Pretty much an ideal situation for a team in full-on rebuild/tank mode.

In the end, I see a trade that could greatly benefit all 3 teams. Boston gets assets, and financial and lineup flexibility to rebuild. Houston gets a superstar, and proven winner, to run their team, along with a a solid starting PF, giving them one of the best SLU's in the league. Philadelphia gets 4 picks, as they continue to stockpile for the future.

For us C's fans, we would now have the much less cluttered rotation of:

Smart/Beverly

Bradley/Young

Green/Turner

Sullinger/Olynyk

Zeller/Jones

When you consider the pieces we get from this trade, and the playing time and opportunities that are created in our lineup because of this trade, and the cap space, and the TPE...

I know saying bye to Rondo won't be easy, but how could a trade like this not be enough to satisfy even the most die-hard of you Don't-trade-Rondo fans?

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