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Whaddya know… Celtics emerging as contender for Dragic

Chuck - Red's Army February 18, 2015 Celtics News, Rumors 27 Comments

ESPN sources say Celtics emerging as contender on the outside for Goran Dragic in trade with Phoenix

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 18, 2015

Celtics have the assets to jump into Dragic talks and, like Houston and Sacramento, also have the guts to trade for a free agent-to-be

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 18, 2015

Don't forget Celtics prez Danny Ainge and Suns GM Ryan McDonough have strong working relationship and have already done a deal this season

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 18, 2015

I’m not sold the Celtics are moving on Dragic. I think it makes more sense to pursue Isaiah Thomas ($7 million per year) than open up the vault for Dragic.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Phoenix leaked this info to the media in an attempt to get Houston to increase its offer.

Nice try, McDonough. You might be able to outsmart Daryl Morey, but you can’t outsmart me.

Herman Bubbert

Completely disagree. Dragic makes us better than we are at the point, and better than we were with a clearly declining, disinterested Rondo. Dragic and Smart at the 2 is a long-term solid backcourt. I’m a lot more willing to pay Dragic than I ever would have been to pay a guy who admits he doesn’t defend and cannot shoot.
- Curt Hays
  
  Of course you would take this as an opportunity to hate on Rondo!
  
  But seriously, long-term backcourt? Not only will the guy be 30 next year (which may not matter too much when you think of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash), but he said he wants to play for Miami or New York.
  
  The 12 feet of snow KWAPT keeps posting photos of doesn’t make it any more desirable. You really think Dragic would re-sign? One can only hope.
- Sean McLaughlin
  
  Have you looked at Dragic’s stats? The only difference between him and Rondo is that he makes about 5pts more a game and 6 less assists per game. The ONLY dept he’s possibly better in is defense, which is an attribute that we have plenty of on the perimeter already. This trade makes no sense to me, not only because of his mediocre play at point, but more so for his Carmelo Anthony-esque attitude leading into a free agency year. Not the kind of player we wanna gamble on for the long term…
  - Jake Gruber
    
    For the love of God, you cannot compare two players based on stats alone.
    - Sean McLaughlin
      
      My take on Dragic was fully explained in my comment on this morning’s “morning dump” if you care to read it, however I was not refuting the value of this trade solely based on stats, as I said ” This trade makes no sense to me, not only because of his mediocre play at point, but more so for his Carmelo Anthony-esque attitude leading into a free agency year. Not the kind of player we wanna gamble on for the long term…”. Apparently you didn’t read that far. Furthermore, stats are actually a VERY good way to compare players, however, as they show definitive production and performance over merely trying to be great. There’s something to be said for hustle, but when that hustle only yields mediocre results, one has to look beyond for the “proof in the pudding”. As far as the Cousins/Duncan example, maybe you’re right, however the jury’s still out on that one as Cousins has only been in 4 years and Duncan’s been in 18. Staying current in your comparisons is important because so many factors change how the comparison ends up. Duncan being a power forward and Cousins being a center might be a good place to start. I see in this page the two people you’ve talked two have two things in common though, they both don’t want the Dragic trade, and they both were insulted by you in a condescending tone and refuted as imbeciles. If you don’t agree with our position, that’s fine. If you have explicit reasons why, fine as well to voice your opinion. However, unless you’re the moderator of this “open forum”, there’s no reason or call to try to demean people’s intelligence and censor them from voicing their opinions based on facts (of which you’ve given none to show how ludicrous and ridiculous our statements truly are). Ok, done feeding the trolls, on with my hump day. Have a great one, yourself.
  - Jake Gruber
    
    For example, would you take Demarcus Cousins over Tim Duncan in his prime? They were comparable statistically. Probably edge to cousins because he is doing it at a younger age. I don’t know about you, but I’d take Duncan every time. Maybe even now, haha. So please, please stop using stats to compare players. It’s ludicrous.
  - wil
    
    5 more points?, naw he is making 7 more points, and 4 less assists. He is just a way better offensive player than Rondo.
    
    also shooting 10% higher than rondo. Those stats are from this year.
    
    Though i dont know how we will keep him. I dont want him to sign to a max deal and pay him at his age at 29-33. Some dumb team will probably offer him more.
    
    Only way id take this trade is if AB get traded.
    - Sean McLaughlin
      
      Either way those two cancel each other out, as assists equal points in the grand scheme of things. Making them more comparable than one being “better” than the other. Dragic’s lack of exceptional court vision is what makes me believe Rondo is the better player overall. This really isn’t about comparing the two as it is what’s good for us currently, though.
      
      Ignoring the fact that he’s a free agent this summer, I would agree with the Bradley comment. He would definitely be an upgrade. Although I don’t think the Suns would be satisfied with Avery alone, and frankly don’t believe Dragic is worth much more. Isaiah Thomas would definitely be the better choice if available, methinks, for numerous reasons from salary considerations, to potential based on age. When you’re still a “developing talent” at 30 years old, there’s not much room to grow.
      - wil
        
        Comparable to the points they put up in the stat sheet but Rondo is doing it in a less efficient manner. We are still one of the top teams when it comes to assists even after Rondo trade. That only means that we are getting the ball to the open guy consistently. It doesnt mean that having Rondo will bump our team’s assists by 10.
        
        Dragic is just a better fit and a better player right now than Rondo. Thomas on the other hand is tempting. Good contract, but not exactly what we want or need. I wouldnt sacrifice defense for offense and add another salary to pay. Would only consider really if ABs contract is traded for his.
        
        All said, the best option we have is Ty Lawson.
      - Curt Hays
        
        What so many people, including @disqus_taL0WwtARn:disqus in his support for Rondo, keep forgetting is Playoff Rondo. I didn’t like the lack of intangibles I saw from regular season Paul Pierce, but playoff Paul Pierce…that’s a BALLER. There is a difference in the playoffs.
      - Sean McLaughlin
        
        Another good point. Court vision in running the offense just explains it all for me though. That’s a point guard’s JOB, and his work in that field is right up there with the best of em. There’s better all around point guards, but he ain’t no slouch…
      - Curt Hays
        
        Not arguing with you, but the Spurs haven’t needed someone like Rondo. The Mavs had Kidd, but that wasn’t why they won. Idk just how valuable he really is.
      - Sean McLaughlin
        
        Meh… A walking triple double machine is always valuable… no point in living in the past though…
      - wil
        
        really depnds on the roster and he style of play. If a team likes to move the ball, you dont need a pass first pg that cant score. You need all around players with high basketball iq that can make plays when they have the ball. And we are starting to move this team in that direction.
      - wil
        
        Look, im a big Rondo fan. I got his jersey. I’ve never forgotten how good he is in the playoffs. And id love to see him perform again so well. Ive watched his 2012 playoff highlights more than a dozen times while he was doing rehab.
        
        But theres also a difference between pre-injury Rondo and post injury Rondo. You cant watch him play and say he is still worth max or he is still in the top 10 pg in the league.
      - Curt Hays
        
        We’ll see this year. I hope, and so do you, that you’re wrong.
- swissflix
  
  long-term? For like 2 years? And at what price? We need a franchise player first.
adam

So does this mean we get DMC too? lol
- Brad P
  
  Then we snag Wiggins
  - adam
    
    ha I love this.
Bobby

Couldn’t agree more. Unless Danny can wait it out and steal Dragic from Mcdonough, who’s lost all leverage in a potential deal, I don’t see any reason to sacrifice assets for a 29 year-old seeking a max contract playing the same position as our best player with the most immediate potential. Sure, Marcus and Goran could theoretically play together, but at the rate he’s progressing, at least give the kid a chance to develop his basketball IQ and become a playmaking point guard, and not just an all around player. If I’m Danny, I draw the line at either the Clippers or Mavs first rounder, Evan Turner and one of the expiring buyout candidates to make salary work. You also can’t forget that overpaying even slightly for Dragic only to watch him walk in free agency for a better market will set this rebuild back years. Danny took 50 cents on the dollar for Brandan Wright, why should he return equal value for a disgruntled point guard threatening to bolt after this season? Last thought: Sacramento’s been rumored to be trying hard to land Dragic. Ainge could potentially sign Dragic to his max contract just to flip him to Sacramento for Boogie along with other assets, but the Kings could also be hesitant to add a piece like Dragic if they’re going to lose their best player to acquire him, but it’s Sacramento– who knows what their thinking.
- Jake Gruber
  
  You are out of your mind. Dragic was just the most improved player a season ago, I believe he is a developing talent as well, and has certainly proven he’s one of the elite PGs in the league. To not consider this deal would be ridiculous (given there is a chance of Dragic re-signing in Boston–which is a whole other story).
  - Bobby
    
    Sure, he made a big leap last year but when you look at this year, granted they added thomas, but his PPG dropped from 20 to 16, APG have gone from 6 to 4 and his PER dropped from 21.4 to 16.6. In regards to the likelihood of him resigning, he’s clearly not fond of playing in a system that uses two point guards, but I’ll admit Marcus Smart would be a much better backcourt mate than Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas just based on skill sets. But in that scenario, Brad would probably want Dragic to play a huge part facilitating the offense and that’s never really been the strongest part of his game– scoring has. Like I said, if you can steal him, by all means go for it and hopefully try to potentially flip him in a deal for a Demarcus Cousins type of player. Danny’s clearly just trying to add to his arsenal of assets, and doing this trade would be consistent with that but just on a much larger scale.
Brad P

Fun fact: Dragic is only 3 months younger than Rondo.

Yeah, this makes no sense.
O.C.

What if Danny sees Dragic as himself and Marcus Smart as DJ? Forget titles; you just play two guards who can each start the offense and “score the ball”, with Marcus as your pit bull defender.
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