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Draft night came and went and there were no blockbuster trades, no medium trades, not even any minor trades for future considerations. Just three draft picks that may be good value or may not pan out - only time will tell. We'll spend a good deal of time on all of them over the next few days and weeks but there's no rest for the weary Danny Ainge. He's got to turn his attention to the free agents (both on his team and on others). Not to mention trade options.
He discussed his feelings for the draft but emphasized the importance of NBA free agency, which starts this weekend. "For a team that is trying to win, it's tough to count on three rookies coming in," said Ainge. "Maybe one will be ready to go, maybe two will contribute. But we plan to fill in with veterans from here on out."
I think Sullinger is in the rotation from day one (pending a clean-ish bill of health), but everything seems to point to the Syracuse boys spending a good deal of time learning in practice and in Maine.
So now we wait on Kevin Garnett to decide between cursing a blue streak at opponents or dining on the blue plate special at Denny's. Assuming he comes back, we'll also have to figure out what to do with Brandon Bass and Jeff Green. Ray Allen is kind of in a category all his own and I have to figure he might take a week or two to figure out what his best options are.
Depending on how all that shakes out or what Ainge has up his sleeve, we could make a run at some free agents or trades. There's already whispers of interest in Jamal Crawford. There's talk of a sign and trade of Bass for O.J. Mayo. There's even talk of interest in Josh Smith. You can be that's just the beginning. There's sure to be more names and rumors added to that list very soon.
So buckle up kiddies, the ride's just getting started.