Robb: Making Sense Of Celtics Roster After Rondo Trade
BOSTON (CBS) - Let the dealing begin.
That's the message Danny Ainge sent around the league last week when he elected to move star guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks for a collection of bench players with expiring contracts in Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson and Jae Crowder.
The decision to trade Rondo may not be as detrimental to the Celtics' overall performance as much as some might believe thanks to Brad Stevens' effective system. He's got this mismatched roster playing up to their capabilities most nights on both ends of the roster and that will continue without Rondo.
With that said, it's hard to dispute Rondo was the team's best player on the roster. Losing him won't help in the win-loss department.
That reality doesn't matter anymore for the Celtics though. Any substantial success in the standings this year would almost solely been based on trying to keep Rondo around for the long haul since the team needed to show progress in order convince him to re-sign this offseason. Now, with Rondo gone, that enticement is no longer necessary. Instead, Ainge is focused on developing the team's youth and building for the future.
So with the team's biggest trade domino out of the picture, it's time to take a look around the rest of the roster. Which players are most likely to go? Which players should feel safe? Are there any players on the roster that are "off limits?" Let's cycle through some of the possibilities at each position.
GUARDS
This is probably the spot you will see the least movement. Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley are the team's future in the backcourt right now, for better or worse. It's unclear if Smart is ready to handle starting point guard duties yet, but you can bet the team will take the next 55 games or so to evaluate him in that role. Off the bench, you have plenty of other young cheap assets in Phil Pressey and James Young that likely aren't going anywhere either.
An intriguing trade candidate on the roster would be offseason addition Evan Turner who has played fairly well overall for Stevens at the point and wing positions. He's on a cheap deal ($3.2 million per year through next season) so he could help a contender, but after last year's disaster in Indiana it's unlikely the team will get an appealing trade return to give him up.
The one guy who is clearly a candidate to go is recently acquired veteran Jameer Nelson. The 32-year-old faltered in Dallas, but it's a near certainty some playoff team will be able to use his services in some form later this year. Whether it's buyout or a simple salary dump that nets them a second round pick, expect the Celtics to move on from Nelson during trade deadline week in February once he is eligible to be dealt again.
Forwards/Centers
Boston's depth chart was already jam packed in this area before the team brought in two more useful bodies in Crowder and Wright in the Rondo deal. Now, it's a headache of massive proportions for Stevens, as he attempts to dole out minutes to Brandon Bass, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger, Wright and Tyler Zeller at the power forward and center spots. With that setup, someone is getting screwed out of playing time every single night in that group and on Sunday night it was Bass who played just five minutes.
In a related story, Bass is also the candidate most likely to be moved among those names. He's an expiring contract, has played well this season and will surely net Boston something of value (a second round pick or trade exception at the least) in an upcoming move.
Wright could also be dealt at the deadline if a contender needs a useful big, but given his shot blocking abilities, the Celtics may be best served to take a full season to evaluate whether he's a fit in their system. Wright will be a free agent after the season, so Ainge will need to decide whether he want to sign him long-term this offseason.
At the wing, Jeff Green has been a trade candidate for the last couple years and nothing has changed on that front, except his improved play this season. That performance gives Boston a better chance of netting a decent return for the hybrid forward.
Overall, nearly half of the players on the roster are potential trade chips before the trade deadline hits. Given that Ainge didn't wait until February last year to make additional moves, Boston's veterans should keep their suitcases permanently packed for the next couple months.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
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