Trades

[Michael Joseph Byrnes <mbyrnes@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

There's been a lot of trade talk on the list, and Pitino has even said
that he is not finished dealing.  This may be true, but I really don't see
what trade options the Celtics really have.  I think all of their players
can be grouped into the following categories (an * indicates a player who 
will be tough to trade due to his contract):

LEGIT NBA STAR:

Antoine Walker

POSSIBLE FUTURE STARS:

Chauncey Billups
Ron Mercer

ROLE PLAYERS:

Andrew DeClerq
Travis Knight *
Pervis Ellison *
John Thomas
Walter McCarty
Bruce Bowen
Greg Minor *
Dana Barros *
Tyus Edney

NO-ROLE PLAYERS:

Roy Rogers
Dontae Jones 
Dee Brown *

Obviously, Walker represents the best trade bait on the team.  However,
the Celtics would have to get a heck of a lot in return for him.  At this
point, I think Walker is untouchable.  

Next in line are Billups and Mercer.  Despite their at times inconsistent
play in Boston, they are both talented young players with significant
trade value.  But, given their youth and potential, doesn't it make more
sense to keep them in Boston?

After those two, every other Celtic is merely a role player (or a
"no-role" player).  If there were NBA teams out there that wanted Dontae
Jones or Roy Rogers, those teams would have complained to the league about
the Celtics keeping 3 players on their injured list all season.  

Before the season, Rick Pitino spoke about wanting to increase the market
value of certain players so that they would become tradeable.  But, he
really hasn't succeeded thus far.  I would guess that he was referring to
players like Dee Brown, Dana Barros, Greg Minor, and Pervis Ellison.
However, I doubt that any team is going to want any of those players at
their current price.  Barros has had a decent year, but he is probably
still too expensive to be a backup point guard, and not good enough to be
a starter.  Ellison would have trade vaue if he had stayed healthy.  Minor
has played well in spots, but I don't think he's had enough time (or
consistency) to convince anyone that he is worth his contract *and* a 
player that the Celtics would want.  Brown has, if anything, reduced his
trade value this year - which is too bad, because, with only two years
left on his contract after 1997-98, he provbably would have gained enough
value to be moved.  

Who does that leave?  The "best" of the role players are probably McCarty
and Bowen, but I doubt that either of them could fetch enough in a trade
to justify dealing them.  I don't see teams burning up the phone lines to
acquire Travis Knight, Andrew DeClerq, John Thomas, or Tyus Edney, either.
The Celtics could probably move some of these players, but I doubt they
could get much in return, except maybe another team's overpaid role
player.  (A trade for Minnesota's Micheal Williams is intriguing.)

Whatever Pitino says, the Celtics simply don't have the players to make
any significant changes, unless they are willing to part with Mercer or
Billups, both of whom Pitino seems to want to retain.  After Walker,
Mercer, and Billups, the most attractive trade commodity the Celtics have
is probably next year's first round pick - but, the Celtics might still be
better off keeping the pick. 

The long-ago-rumored Billups for Nash trade with Phoenix is still an
interesting idea.  If I were the Suns' GM, I would do that deal in a
second (didn't the Suns start those discussions?).  With Jason Kidd
around, Billups would be freed from the responsibility of running the
offense, and he could help the Suns with his shooting, driving,
and defense.  Would such a trade make any sense from the Celtics point of
view?  I'm not sure.  Nash would surely help the Celtics offense, but
would he be eventually able to fit into Pitino's defensive system?  Also,
he is about 3 years older than Billups, though still quite young.  I
think Phoenix would have to sweeten the deal, though I'm not sure that
they have much else that the Celtics would want.

Michael Byrnes
mbyrnes@stanford.edu