from CBlog.........
http://www.sbnation.com/2010/2/3/129051 ... e-iguodalaMAJOR PLAYERS
Boston Celtics
Status: Buyer
Team Weaknesses: Athleticism, perimeter depth, point guard depth
Projected 2010 cap room: $-11 million ($3 million under luxury tax)
Untouchables: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins
Potentially on the block: Glen Davis ($3 million this year, one more year)*,
Expiring Contracts: Ray Allen ($18.8 million), Brian Scalabrine ($3.4 million), Eddie House ($2.8 million), Tony Allen ($2.5 million), Marquis Daniels ($1.9 million)
Prospects: J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker
Good trade partners: Chicago, Detroit, Golden State, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Washington
Possible targets: Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons, Tayshaun Prince, Raja Bell, Monta Ellis, Luke Ridnour, Charlie Bell, Ramon Sessions, Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala.
Ray Allen's expiring contract is officially on the market! This makes the Celtics a team that is a must-watch in the coming weeks. They've struggled so much recently that it appears Danny Ainge is resigned to the fact that the Celtics must get younger. Ainge is an extremely bold GM, so this is not just posturing. Don't believe him when he says there's nothing to this.
The difficulty of Ainge's quest, though, is that the Celtics can't just tank because of the vets the team already has. They can't just trade Ray Allen for young players; they need to trade Ray Allen essentially for a younger version of Ray Allen. Monta Ellis was one name that came up, but he doesn't fit in well with Boston's style of play. I think the Celtics would love to trade Allen for Sacramento's Kevin Martin, but Martin's not on the block. SB Nation's Celtics Blog and Liberty Ballers collaborated on a Allen/Andre Iguodala trade, but does Iguodala fit in well with Paul Pierce? Chicago could offer Kirk Hinrich, who the Celtics already tried to get (as covered in the Bulls section), and John Salmons, but is that a good enough return? This is the problem with trading Ray Allen now. He needs to be traded for someone really good, and how many really good players are out there that are better than Ray Allen?
Besides a Ray Allen trade, the Celtics also desperately need bench help, particularly at the point and on the wings. Andres Nocioni of Sacramento has been rumored to head to Boston several times, but he has a big contract. We already talked about Hinrich. Jeff Clark from SB Nation's Celtics Blog is enamored with Golden State's Raja Bell, but Bell's hurt now. Detroit could offer Tayshaun Prince, but Prince makes too much money. Milwaukee can offer Luke Ridnor and Charlie Bell, but the two combined make too much. Boston's only assets other than Allen are small expiring contracts and third-tier prospects. That could be enough to get them somebody, but nobody particularly great.
Either way, Boston went from a team likely out of the mix to one of the big players in just a couple weeks.
