2025 Offseason Trade and Free Agency Thread (Wow this is fun!)

[SparringPartner]

No one is outplaying Cooper Flagg by a big enough margin to win ROY unless he pulls a Blake Griffin lol. Pretty much his to lose at this point.

I love Flagg and wish he was joining the C’s. Pretty sure he’ll have a very inefficient offensive year. His defense and passing will keep him on the floor his rookie year. It would not surprise me one bit if he doesn’t win ROY, even though he’s the best player.

[Hal14]

If you trade Jaylen you have to return someone who can be a top-3 guy on a title team by 26-27. Maybe that's Flagg? No idea. I don't watch the college game at all. But my guess is there is no Magic or Larry here who can hit the ground crushing it. If you're advocating for JB for #2, you HAVE to project that player to be a star out of the gate.

I get that..which is why it's probably not happening.

However, it's also not that simple.

Finances are going to play a very large part in the moves Brad makes this summer. Is JB a top 3 player on a contender? Yes, obviously. But is JB (especially coming off knee surgery, and with a declining 3 FG% in each of the past 3 yrs, even before knee surgery and with lots of overlapping skills with our best player, Tatum) going to be worth every penny of the supermax contract he has over the next 4 yrs? Probably not.

Are the Celtics looking to trim payroll this summer? Yes. Does moving JB achieve that? Yes. Is JB's trade value right now higher than it will be at any other point between now and the day he retires? Probably.

Does our offense get stagnant frequently because of a lack of ball movement, player movement and lack of playmaking? Yes. Tatum isn't going anywhere. So it's not a hot take to say that our issue of limited playmaking could be solved if we flipped JB and got a player who's a better playmaker. Harper (while unproven in the NBA) was a better playmaker in college than JB (and Cade and Tatum and Maxey and Ant Edwards and SGA and Donovan Mitchell, Booker, etc) and projects to be a better playmaker in the NBA. Harper is also one of the best (possibly the best) cutters in this draft class, which would help our ball movement/player movement issue.

[Celts17Pride]

If you trade Jaylen you have to return someone who can be a top-3 guy on a title team by 26-27. Maybe that's Flagg? No idea. I don't watch the college game at all. But my guess is there is no Magic or Larry here who can hit the ground crushing it. If you're advocating for JB for #2, you HAVE to project that player to be a star out of the gate.

Just grab someone that the Celtics have to wait 5 years to develop

[SparringPartner]

I’d be willing to bet if the Celtics had the #2 pick they wouldn't draft Harper, probably someone like Tre Johnson.

They did interview him at the combine. Brad doesn’t seem like a trickster. Harper & Bailey seem overhyped to me. If they get #2, maybe trade down to get Tre and pick up other assets.

[SparringPartner]

Just grab someone that the Celtics have to wait 5 years to develop

Tatum started his rookie year on a stacked championship caliper team. I get what you’re saying, but that’s why Brad makes the big dollars. Two teams PASSED on Tatum. It’s called scouting.

[165bows]

No one is outplaying Cooper Flagg by a big enough margin to win ROY unless he pulls a Blake Griffin lol. Pretty much his to lose at this point.

I love Flagg and wish he was joining the C’s. Pretty sure he’ll have a very inefficient offensive year. His defense and passing will keep him on the floor his rookie year. It would not surprise me one bit if he doesn’t win ROY, even though he’s the best player.

Sure rookies inevitably are inefficient offensive players, that's been the whole point of several posters over the past few pages.

That said Flagg led the ACC in total points, points produced and offensive win shares and was the most efficient player of guys mocked in the top-5.

Along with the fact he'll be the overwhelming favorite to be ROY for many very good reasons it also becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy where the guy people now and think is going to win, wins. This one isn't complicated esp. to what I was initially responding to, which is one of the other guys could very easily be ROY which isn't the case if are having to settle on just one of them.

[Celts17Pride]

Hilarious that anyone would advocate trading away a multiple time all star in their prime to draft a rookie who isn’t a sure thing.

Drafting rookies is a complete crapshoot unless you’re drafting a sure thing like a Duncan, LeBron, AD etc level talent.

You can talk them up all they like but at the end of the day it’s impossible to know how they’ll actually turn out in the NBA.

Maybe they end up at Jaylen’s level. But they could be a slow burn and take 5-6 years. They could be quick. They could also be completely garbage or simply just mediocre.

I’m sorry but in all my years watching the NBA time and time again I’ve heard fans, analysts, GMs etc sing the praises of some guy they’ve drafted and he turns out to completely suck or be very meh.

For every KD, there’s a Jeff Green, Thomas Robinson etc.

Brad thankfully isn’t stupid enough to trade Jaylen away for a pick that may one day be as good as him.

Bingo!!

[SparringPartner]

Sure rookies inevitably are inefficient offensive players, that's been the whole point of several posters over the past few pages.

That said Flagg led the ACC in total points, points produced and offensive win shares and was the most efficient player of guys mocked in the top-5.

Along with the fact he'll be the overwhelming favorite to be ROY for many very good reasons it also becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy where the guy people now and think is going to win, wins. This one isn't complicated esp. to what I was initially responding to, which is one of the other guys could very easily be ROY which isn't the case if are having to settle on just one of them.

Sure. If the C’s move into the Top 5, whoever they draft will win ROY. I’m guessing that’s Tre Johnson.

[Shak_Celts]

I just want something good to happen, how we get there may sting, but at least we’ll get more people back on the board. It’s fun, for me, to read all the hullabaloo.

[djFan71]

2025 is feeling pretty similar to the 2023 draft.
Flagg is the Wemby (not quite the same level).
Harper is Scoot - the can't miss guard who's going 2nd.
Ace is Miller the tall wing scorer who could conceivably go 2nd.

It's not perfect. But, Scoot was definitely hyped up as much (or very close to as much) as Harper is now. It's not that you just can't 100% rely on him being ready for Tatum's timeline. It's that the odds are very much against it.

Jalen Williams is the counter to that, lol. But, you gotta get good now players back from a JB trade.

[SparringPartner]

Hilarious that anyone would advocate trading away a multiple time all star in their prime to draft a rookie who isn’t a sure thing.

Drafting rookies is a complete crapshoot unless you’re drafting a sure thing like a Duncan, LeBron, AD etc level talent.

You can talk them up all they like but at the end of the day it’s impossible to know how they’ll actually turn out in the NBA.

Maybe they end up at Jaylen’s level. But they could be a slow burn and take 5-6 years. They could be quick. They could also be completely garbage or simply just mediocre.

I’m sorry but in all my years watching the NBA time and time again I’ve heard fans, analysts, GMs etc sing the praises of some guy they’ve drafted and he turns out to completely suck or be very meh.

For every KD, there’s a Jeff Green, Thomas Robinson etc.

Brad thankfully isn’t stupid enough to trade Jaylen away for a pick that may one day be as good as him.

Bingo!!

Right. Not sure what you do for a living, but a good rule of thumb is

Sell high
Buy low

If JB goes into next season as the number one, and it fails, his value will be out of all-time low. Oh yeah, and he makes $50M+ a year.

[djFan71]

That said, Brown trades are hard. You have to make offers that look like ridiculous overpays from the other teams to have it make any sense for BOS. One thought I had that I'm not even sure if I like is:

Brown for Trey Murphy III, 7, a few 1sts and Jarrett Allen.
NOP send CLE KO and a good 1st or 2 or something. Helps their apron/tax situation.

But a) is that even enough back for BOS? and b) does NOP even consider it give their state and the west teams ahead of them?

Just really hard to work. So, I'm very much assuming JB is back.

[Shak_Celts]

If Bane is worth 4 firsts unprotected, can someone pay 8? I said no one is trading #1 for JB but hell, if they didn’t know 1 was Flagg, then that isn’t enough. Bridges got a billion picks too. JB is a year removed finals MVP. #2 isn’t enough! They gotta stack onto #2 and IDC what JB makes. We have to stop undervaluing our players that people don’t like.

Luka isn’t the bar, that was shady.

At least if JB is traded, I know we’ll be flushed with assets, I can live with that!

[SparringPartner]

That said, Brown trades are hard. You have to make offers that look like ridiculous overpays from the other teams to have it make any sense for BOS. One thought I had that I'm not even sure if I like is:

Brown for Trey Murphy III, 7, a few 1sts and Jarrett Allen.
NOP send CLE KO and a good 1st or 2 or something. Helps their apron/tax situation.

But a) is that even enough back for BOS? and b) does NOP even consider it give their state and the west teams ahead of them?

Just really hard to work. So, I'm very much assuming JB is back.

Allen = Zero value

Can’t agree with that

[djFan71]

That said, Brown trades are hard. You have to make offers that look like ridiculous overpays from the other teams to have it make any sense for BOS. One thought I had that I'm not even sure if I like is:

Brown for Trey Murphy III, 7, a few 1sts and Jarrett Allen.
NOP send CLE KO and a good 1st or 2 or something. Helps their apron/tax situation.

But a) is that even enough back for BOS? and b) does NOP even consider it give their state and the west teams ahead of them?

Just really hard to work. So, I'm very much assuming JB is back.

Allen = Zero value

Can’t agree with that

Really? That’s a take I haven’t seen yet. We’re talking KO and a 1st for a starting center. Trey, 7 and future picks are the bulk of the value, but Allen is pretty useful.

[playa-hater]

Once again, it's BROWN and HIS CONTRACT and potentially his "bad knees".. Stop shorting the Contract part. Getting more players (who are pretty good and Younger) AND saving money or keep Brown should be the debate. Not just "some rookie" who may or may not be good/ready.

[SparringPartner]

[Really? That’s a take I haven’t seen yet. We’re talking KO and a 1st for a starting center. Trey, 7 and future picks are the bulk of the value, but Allen is pretty useful.

I didn’t word that well.
It seemed like you were suggesting CLE doesn’t value Allen

[redslastlaugh]

That said, Brown trades are hard. You have to make offers that look like ridiculous overpays from the other teams to have it make any sense for BOS. One thought I had that I'm not even sure if I like is:

Brown for Trey Murphy III, 7, a few 1sts and Jarrett Allen.
NOP send CLE KO and a good 1st or 2 or something. Helps their apron/tax situation.

It's also hard to make deals with New Orleans because their entire org has gone sideways. Zion didn't pan out and the Pels are such an afterthought in that market, that some NBA media has speculated the teams gonna relocate sometime in the medium term.
I forget if it was Bill Simmons or who, but some said, Joe Dumars was an NBA corporate exec and he was installed to manage the team with an eye that they may be moving to another city in the next 5-10 yrs.
Who knows if there's any truth to it?
I live in Texas and the general feeling towards New Orleans is that it's been in structural decline since the city lost population after Katrina. It just hasnt recovered the way other places have and now we have Seattle, Vegas, Montreal, Tampa, Nashville, Austin that could all better support a franchise.

[Larry_Russell]

That said, Brown trades are hard. You have to make offers that look like ridiculous overpays from the other teams to have it make any sense for BOS. One thought I had that I'm not even sure if I like is:

Brown for Trey Murphy III, 7, a few 1sts and Jarrett Allen.
NOP send CLE KO and a good 1st or 2 or something. Helps their apron/tax situation.

But a) is that even enough back for BOS? and b) does NOP even consider it give their state and the west teams ahead of them?

Just really hard to work. So, I'm very much assuming JB is back.

Allen = Zero value

Can’t agree with that

Really? That’s a take I haven’t seen yet. We’re talking KO and a 1st for a starting center. Trey, 7 and future picks are the bulk of the value, but Allen is pretty useful.

If this team could turn Brown into 2 starters , the 7th and another couple of picks it would be phenominal.

I for one think that not only does Tre Murphy fit better with Tatum, but will be a better player than BRown and was trending that way prior his injury.

And then adding a rim running defensive lob target in Allen is Gravy as he can either be flipped or KP can be sent.

[GreenBlooded]

Magic Out: Anthony Black, Jett Howard
Magic In: Sam Hauser, #32

Solid trade.
Not sure the Magic are ready to trade Black

I like this idea too.

I've been thinking something similar:

Hauser to HOU
Whitmore to BOS