If It Is To Be Said. So It Be. So It Is. The First Deadline Trade Thread.

[Andrew McCeltic]

"literally the perfect player for us to pair with Embiid" + 'actually we don't need someone in the top 25 as long as they're in the top 40', lol

[sully00]

I agree with fallguy that offseason is the time Smart's gonna get moved, if he is.

I never said young guys can be given away. I'm suggesting the opposite. Play them more so we can at least find out if their value can be raised. 10 mins a game when main guys are injured aren't gonna cut it.

I would give them away right now is what I mean they have sucked they have gotten run and done little with it. Pritchard's coming around but Langford is in his 3rd season and getting almost 18 mpg and there is just nothing there on a consistent basis. Nesmith is only in his second season it isn't like I am giving up but no friggin way I am watching guys who need the decks cleared so they can get some run.

You want to chase Tatum and Brown out of town do that right about now.

At the very least expand the rotation to 10 guys if you want to hold on to Richardson and Horford. (See what Memphis, Cavs, and even Miami/Dubs are doing with their young guys). We already know that Schroder isn't part of this team's future. PP has been productive when he's at least played 18 mins beginning last season. It's just hard to feel comfortable and at ease with your game when you get two six minute stints a game and barely get touches (Nesmith/Langford).

This is Langford's first real healthy season. Not ready to count him out especially when he's playing a position whose minutes go to our 3 main guys.

Brown and Tatum have to play better and more consistently if they want this team to win. I'm not even asking them to make their teammates better at this point.

I am just not down with the everybody has to play approach. This team has to do what it takes to win and right now if that is more Dennis so be it. I hear what your saying about opportunities then it is about working these guys in to the rotation one at a time until they establish something like Grant did. I think playing them together is part of the problem.

[Andrew McCeltic]

Still amazing how Simmons' reputation has cratered.. there were always question marks, but as long as Philly was winning he had hype, maybe he learns to shoot, what a passer, elite defense.. he's like 6'10 Marcus Smart who passes better but can't even make .30 from three. Only recent parallels are Drummond and Josh Smith, and they had not even half the rep Ben did, or the excitement around them.

[Andrew McCeltic]

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[Celts17Pride]

The appeal to Westbrook is getting out of Al’s money and having someone to hold down the 1 when you trade Smart/Schroeder

There is no appeal to Westbrook, only on the Lakers side to moving him.

[SatchSanders]

I agree with fallguy that offseason is the time Smart's gonna get moved, if he is.

I never said young guys can be given away. I'm suggesting the opposite. Play them more so we can at least find out if their value can be raised. 10 mins a game when main guys are injured aren't gonna cut it.

I would give them away right now is what I mean they have sucked they have gotten run and done little with it. Pritchard's coming around but Langford is in his 3rd season and getting almost 18 mpg and there is just nothing there on a consistent basis. Nesmith is only in his second season it isn't like I am giving up but no friggin way I am watching guys who need the decks cleared so they can get some run.

You want to chase Tatum and Brown out of town do that right about now.

At the very least expand the rotation to 10 guys if you want to hold on to Richardson and Horford. (See what Memphis, Cavs, and even Miami/Dubs are doing with their young guys). We already know that Schroder isn't part of this team's future. PP has been productive when he's at least played 18 mins beginning last season. It's just hard to feel comfortable and at ease with your game when you get two six minute stints a game and barely get touches (Nesmith/Langford).

This is Langford's first real healthy season. Not ready to count him out especially when he's playing a position whose minutes go to our 3 main guys.

Brown and Tatum have to play better and more consistently if they want this team to win. I'm not even asking them to make their teammates better at this point.

This. I see starting RWIII with Grant to bang bodies, and having Al come off the bench at C if he's not dealt. Richardson would also get a lot of run. But the closing lineup should be the J's, Langford at the other wing, RWIII, and Smart at the point. Defense first, and enough clever passing to free up shots IFF they trust each other and move the ball.

[Gomes3PC]

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Play ball Ben, or we'll banish you to Sacramento!

[jeremym480]

BOS gets Collins and Hield
ATL gets Smart, Bagley, a future 1st from BOS, and a couple of future 2nds (from DAL)
SAC gets Horford
DAL (or any team with a TPE who needs a backup PG) gets Schroder

[Andrew McCeltic]

The only disappointment with Langford is that his shooting hasn't held up - 32 percent is a career high for him, so that's progress. But he started hotter than that iirc. Frustrating that he and Nesmith have the bad luck to miss games after a good performance and lose momentum, or play and lose momentum.

[Andrew McCeltic]

BOS gets Collins and Hield
ATL gets Smart, Bagley, a future 1st from BOS, and a couple of future 2nds (from DAL)
SAC gets Horford
DAL (or any team with a TPE who needs a backup PG) gets Schroder

I don't think ATL can afford to step down from Collins to Hield in value, especially when they've got Huerter and Bogdan in the backcourt already.

But from the sound of it, Bogdanovic is almost a bad contract and Gallo is out because he's a liability on defense. A deal built around Horford for either one could work..

[Fencer reregistered]

The appeal to Westbrook is getting out of Al’s money and having someone to hold down the 1 when you trade Smart/Schroeder

Whah? Wait Al is getting out of the money. You waive him at seasons end and pay him his 14 mil and then maybe resign him on the cheap why on earth would you turn him into an extra 30 mil dollar headache?

There are good options out there on the trade market but damn Russ isn't on that list.

Westbrook is good! We all know the problems, but for a 1.5 year rental to keep the team from bottoming out? He might even make us better this year. He's shooting the same 3pct as Smart, so it's neutral for our spacing, and he's five times the offensive player. He could put up 20 points and 10 assists to close out the year. He's averaging 8 rebounds a game.

There are versions where we'd get under the tax and rake in medium to long term value. LA would be spendthrift for a short-term boost if they're foolish enough to think they can win another title.

A 2026 swap and a 2027 first? Good chance those are lotto picks. You could do Al/Smart/DS for Russ and 1.5 picks and be under the tax this year. Add JRich for THT and you're five million under this year. Or do Al/Smart for Russ/picks and work separate JRich/DS trades to maneuver financially and take back other pieces.

There are net positive scenarios. The only serious calculation is about what options it opens up and closes down this summer. Keeping Al means you pay him 14 million to not play and get some financial maneuverability. If you get Russ and you're ready to go deeper into the tax for at least a year, we have TPEs and a pick surplus to facilitate trades.

You're thinking of Westbrook like he's the player Washington traded for - he doesn't have three years left to handcuff a Wizards team in desperate need of improvement. He has a year and a half left to *make us better* while we reset around Rob and the Jays.

If we acquire Westbrook, we should immediately fire Ime. Bringing in a guy who's infamous for not doing what the coaches ask him would end any chance of Ime presiding successfully over the team.

[Andrew McCeltic]

Yeah, there's risk there - and risk he's a problem and/or bad influence on the Jays..

[Andrew McCeltic]

BOS gets Collins and Hield
ATL gets Smart, Bagley, a future 1st from BOS, and a couple of future 2nds (from DAL)
SAC gets Horford
DAL (or any team with a TPE who needs a backup PG) gets Schroder

I don't think ATL can afford to step down from Collins to Hield in value, especially when they've got Huerter and Bogdan in the backcourt already.

But from the sound of it, Bogdanovic is almost a bad contract and Gallo is out because he's a liability on defense. A deal built around Horford for either one could work..

Collins to Smart*, sorry

[SLCceltic]

The only disappointment with Langford is that his shooting hasn't held up - 32 percent is a career high for him, so that's progress. But he started hotter than that iirc. Frustrating that he and Nesmith have the bad luck to miss games after a good performance and lose momentum, or play and lose momentum.

Langford is such a waste of physical attributes and talent !
Reminds me a lot of Joe Forte and will be out of the league playing overseas soon ...has no drive or fire

[Andrew McCeltic]

If we acquire Westbrook, we should immediately fire Ime. Bringing in a guy who's infamous for not doing what the coaches ask him would end any chance of Ime presiding successfully over the team.

One halftime call-out from Perk on regional cable isn't enough? Make him an assistant coach and he can glower at Russ to keep him in line

[Andrew McCeltic]

The only disappointment with Langford is that his shooting hasn't held up - 32 percent is a career high for him, so that's progress. But he started hotter than that iirc. Frustrating that he and Nesmith have the bad luck to miss games after a good performance and lose momentum, or play and lose momentum.

Langford is such a waste of physical attributes and talent !
Reminds me a lot of Joe Forte and will be out of the league playing overseas soon

he's got a floor as a decent backup shooting guard.. Yabu was a waste of physical attributes

[CelticFaninLBC]

Meh, that's a red herring. Tatum and Brown are barely good enough to make the playoffs, never mind titles. You can always argue that they aren't good enough now but they'll get there. I don't see them getting there at all. Tatum is regressing. Brown's shooting has definitely improved but his other flaws (turnovers, defensive lapses) have not been corrected.

Who do you foresee getting there?

They're plenty good enough to lead a team to the title, and yes they demonstrated that in 2017-18 and in 2019-20. But we don't have the right parts at this point, the chemistry isn't very good now, and the conference in particular has improved at the top.

Those teams had strong players at the point and to distribute. Usually the point and the distributor are one and the same, but those teams did it differently (scoring point and other distributors). In '17-18 it was Rozier as a scoring point, Horford as a distributor, and Smart as a mishmash. In '19-'20 Hayward was the linchpin, Kemba the scoring point, and Smart the mishmash.

That's what this team misses when it comes to moving the ball. The J's haven't grown enough to both score efficiently and distribute without someone else helping fill those roles the way Jrue does in Milwaukee. Hayward's gone of course. Kemba last demanded extra defensive attention during the bubble. Horford's a shell of himself on offense. RWIII COULD be that distributing fulcrum on offense right now, but won't be trusted until he develops a better shot. Langford hasn't emerged yet, which I think is more a function of mistrust rather than a lack of capacity on his part. PP's not capable of being such a point, while Richardson and Nesmith are just 3&Ds.

A third star is discussed because it's easiest to find the scoring and distribution in one player. likely a star can stretch the defense and distribute. But those missing roles could be spackled together the way they were in the conference finals runs. The spackling becomes more fragile the deeper you go, as the margin of error shrinks. I think it's better to sell at the deadline, see which kids swim, and then use the TPEs to add realized talent to replace what we've offloaded the last few years.

Agree it's best to sell, and see what they have in Langford and Nesmith, but can't see a first year POBO and coach doing that. Fortunately, Ime can probably produce an additional 8 - 10 loses with his idiotic anti-spacing and slow double bigs lineups, so they might be able to draft a pg with a pick in the 10-12 range.

[gocelts]

so great watching the Sixers mess this up. What a horribly managed team....yet they have a better record than us...hmmmm

[Andrew McCeltic]

Sabonis is up to 32 percent from three? Hit that rate last season and is matching it now. Does that mean he's trending up? Now I want to trade for him.

[Curmudgeon]

If we acquire Westbrook, we should immediately fire Ime.

If we acquire Westbrook, we should immediately fire Brad Stevens.