Pritchard would have to be the primary contact included for sure as well as the positional match from our perspective. We'll have salary fodder to move after Christmas and throw in a pick or maybe they like Walsh too.
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Caruso would be worth giving up Walsh’s future. Banton would have to assume the 3rd PG/ball handler role.
Ball-handler hierarchy, in a Caruso fake trade
1. White
2. Holiday
3. Tatum
4. Caruso
I wouldn't envision a Banton role/minutes bump.
Shockingly, for me at least, Caruso is a career 37% 3pt shooter (75% FT)
Not only would Dame be locked up but it would be a dagger in Laker Nation's heart
I don't think Presti is looking at Chicago at all. Here's what he had to say in September about making a trade:
"You can't buy the paint for your house that you haven't bought yet," Presti said. "You don't know wherethe house is. ... You don't know what style it is. You don't know how much paint you'll need. We don't really know what we have right now.
"I think this is part of the headwinds that you face as a young team. I wouldn't want to cash in to become average or above average."
Presti isn't looking for a mere upgrade, he sounds like he's looking for that Great Whale. No one's really sure what it is at this point but he's looking for him! (Maybe Embiid if things go south in PHI.)
Yea predicting what a team will do OR is interested in doing is a fools' errand around here (sadly it doesn't stop me
)OKC is definitely above average at this point and has the young Alpha in SGA to build around.
Presti/OKC have the assets to grab that Great Whale, which sounds very Danny-esque during his last few seasons in Boston. Got Kyrie! Must get AD! Then on to signing All-NBAer Kemba Walker!
Presti getting Embiid would be a home run, and maybe they wait for Joel to demand his way to OKC! but it shouldn't preclude them from upgrading their roster
Brad has successfully shopped in the "mere upgrades" aisle for a few seasons now to build around his Young Alpha.
I think Presti is ok kicking the can down the road with his assets (I expect to see consolidation trades come draft time and/or trading picks for more future picks) until he has a clear idea of what he has and what exactly he needs.
At that point, I’d imagine he’d go big game hunting, but it’s going to be tough for him to find a player under contract and has the personality to want to play in OKC
If Banton has any role on this team post-deadline something is seriously wrong.
Remember there are millions and millions of dollars at stake. Not that Presti wouldn't be in demand but every year the can is kicked down the road is another year of job security. Riskier moves could not only backfire on the franchise but on his career as well. Not everyone is looking to go all-in for championships.
If you use Pritchard for salary match for a Caruso, then Banton should have the same role he has now after the deadline. But what I think you are getting at is Banton shouldn't have a role in the playoffs outside garbage time.
Yes precisely. I'm thinking playoff roster construction and Hauser's growth has made this real easy for Brad in that is one less role need has to look to upgrade.
Chicago has almost nothing that makes sense for OKC. Definitely not need a Derosan or Levine, or even Caruso. They already have too many quality guards. I guess you could make make an argument for taking a flyer on Patrick Williams, but he isn't a real PF, and is a redundant and dramatically lesser player than Jalen Williams. And I don't really believe Vuc would fit with their style of play, but that could be possible.
I'm of the opinion if they make a move it's gonna have to be for a 4/5. Someone who will fit their offense, but be a strong rebounder and a physical presence to play alongside Chet. They have all the pics, and they are crazy deep
I think Stevens has been the best dealmaker of any Boston GM/sports operation head in the decades I've been following Boston sports. Of course, cross-sport comparisons are uncertain because the parameters vary so much from sport to sport, but I don't think you can point to anyone who is as decisive and successful a trader as Stevens.
Trading Pritchard in a Caruso deal gets complicated. Pritchard's contract is a poison pill, so Celts need to throw in 3 other contracts in guys like Walsh, Brissett, and Svi, and then what do you give them, a 2025 first or something? Also, this deal can't happen until December or January 15th depending who the throw ins are. There will surely be better offers out there for Caruso if the Bulls move him
+1
He has outmaneuvered fellow NBA GMs numerous times.
He has moved the players that needed to go while adding players that make the JAYs/Celtics better.
His contract/extension work has been exceptional.
Besides the big acquisition deals, even his end-of-the-roster moves this summer have been excellent.
Mike Zarren should get a lot of the credit here (maybe even 50%)
Agreed I doubt Brad can pull Caruso out of a hat.
He's the not-so-hidden gem on that roster that makes sense for any team going to the playoffs (incl OKC)
IF the Nuggets make a play for him as a Bruce Brown-replicant it wouldn't shock me.
If Hauser is playing decent D, where would Caruso's minutes come from?
The Celtics are so based on maintaining spacing by playing a rotation of 8 (!!) plus shooters that it's hard to see how they work a non-shooter in without serious disruption.
I guess you could replace Pritchard, but that's hard because of the poison pill, as moops said.
Is Caruso the non-shooter? He's not a plus shooter (he'd immediately become the worst shooter in the top 8) and I freely admit I haven't seen much of him since he left the Lakers, but his 3p% .367 in Chicago, not exactly Marcus Smart. Him replacing Pritchard just means we have one less true playmaker in the rotation. As long as one of Holiday/White/Tatum is on the court at all times (won't be a problem in the playoffs for sure), it won't matter.
I don't see any reasonable way we get Caruso, but he'd fit in very well. White/Holiday/Caruso in the backcourt, Brown/Tatum/Hauser on the wings and KP/Horford at center, when healthy that team has no flaws. The Celtics are already the first team in a decade to have two guards that both made all-defense the previous year, adding a 3rd would be incredible.
a Horford, Hauser, Caruso bench would be a beast in the playoffs (where PP doesn't have much of a role IMO)
Caruso is a low volume 3pt shooter but surprisingly has shot 37% from there over his career (& improving + 75% FT shooter)
low to no chance of Brad landing Caruso, just hope he doesn't end up in Miami, Milwaukee, Sixers, or Denver
or what @Euclis20 just said above
If Caruso is somehow available for scraps (that would be one 1st round pick, any number of 2nds and anyone outside of the top 7), he'd be an amazing get. His 3 point shooting was pretty rough in the playoffs with LA, but he's a 37% shooter for his career and did hit 39% of his 3's in the playoffs with Chicago in 2022 (small sample, sure). He's also a plus/minus darling, his net on/off per 100 has been positive every year of his career (and in the playoffs), at least +7 five out of the last six years, and his career net on/off is the same as Derrick White's. Basically, he's a guy you KNOW can play effectively in the playoffs. We have a need for that, and no evidence that Pritchard can handle it.
He's not. Jake Fischer (Yahoo) reporting that CHI thinks (in part because of Caruso's contract) they can get a similar return to Jrue - i.e., players plus at least 2 First Round Picks.
Everyone who matters in the NBA knows that Caruso is CHI's best current asset, which is why they need to break this up.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/alex-caruso-could-fetch-a-similar-trade-return-as-jrue-holiday-per-report/
They should definitely ask for that, but that'd be an insane get. Still likely well out of the Celtics price range.
Is he more valuable than Lavine? 28 year old all-star wing has a much higher ceiling, I'd be more worried if the Sixers/Heat/Lakers got LaVine than I would be if they got Caruso.
Based on contract, more teams are interested in Caruso than LaVine and I wouldn't be surprised if Caruso fetched more. LaVine at $40+M for the next few seasons is fun to have if a team is trying to sell tickets but less fun if they are trying to win, unless LaVine starts figuring out how to play defense.
Does LaVine substantially improve any realistic playoff team? His best fit is probably TOR, except TOR already has a bunch of guys who play in the mid-range and clearly LAL has some interest, but who else? Maybe MIA thinks it can "unlock" something in him?
Ah sorry, I should have been more clear: I consider someone shooting 36-37% on very low attempts to be a non-shooter. It means you can't get your shot off except in very ideal circumstances, which in turn means that teams can leave you to help very aggressively.
Obviously you can't be out there making 32% of your 3s or whatever, but beyond that, raw % is a very, very small part of what being an NBA shooter is.
Caruso also has low volume from 2 and low assists. He just isn't able to make a ton happen when he gets the ball on offense afaict.
I will be so, so annoyed if Presti pulls an Ainge and just keeps refusing to cash in mid 1sts for vets. Imagine the Thunder if they had traded a small fraction of their future haul and had Jrue right now. Presti can top basically anyone's offer for top 40/50 type vets, and they'd make the Thunder so hard to beat. Could be a legit fringe title contender if they went for it.
I also wonder if Presti is in the Ainge territory of having so many attractive assets that other GM’s will just keep asking for and demanding more from him than anyone else (Justise Winslow).
Yup, that thought crossed my mind as well. Although, in the case of things like bidding wars for Jrue Holiday, I doubt the Blazers care much about extracting every last asset from Presti.
(Just an example; OKC would likely have had extension issues with Jrue)
The sun will rise, the sun will set, and Brad Fucking Stevens will power through the afternoon on an intermittent fast and fleece some NBA GM of a tremendously valuable 3rd Center.
Jrue is a really good player, but again, not really a fit for what OKC needs. They are exceptionally deep at guard. They have Dort who is somewhat similar. So if you deal Dort + picks etc, are you that much better? They you have to resign him, when you already have Dort signed relatively cheaply for a few more years. And then you have Cason Wallace there as well who plays a similar game as well.
Their biggest need is actually getting experience, because most of the roster has never played a postseason game. Getting someone like Jrue would have helped some there with the experience factor.
With OKC you can say should they have gotten involved in the Porzingis sweepstakes. Maybe that would have actually brought them to a higher level as an org. John Collins, nah, I don't think so. They have a very specific need and it is for a rebounding big. Clint Capela might be an option, but would he be able to fit into the offensive system?
As it is Josh Giddy is starting to get squeezed out of the lineups many nights, and I fear will be the one going in the big trade when it happens,, but that means you need to get an outstanding player back
OKC feels like a team that needs a young version of Al Horford. Maybe swapping Giddy for Wendell Carter Jr?
I don't watch any OKC basketball so I didn't realize that Giddy's minutes were going down. Is that just because SGA and Chet are handling the ball so much that Giddy's skills seem duplicative?
I had heard people say that Giddy's skills were potentially All-Star level so it seems weird that OKC wouldn't be trying harder to develop him but they do look pretty good this year.
they have noticeably benched him a couple times recently. And He isn't necessarily in their end of game rotation. He is still super young, just turned 21 last month. On a team where he plays the primary facilitator role, he could be a double digit assist player. His shot has improved (looks much better ), but it hasn't been reflected in the results yet. they are pushing him had to go to the hoop more as that is their game. His min are down by 4, and his rebounding, and Assists are down by a couple.
Right now obviously OKC has SGA as the lead guard. Last year Giddy would start, and then rotate in and play lead on the second unit, but they are not doing that this year. they also have Chet who has some point center skills. They are using JDub more as a facilitator. then they have Micic, who can be an elite facilitator in the rotation, and Wallace, who played some PG at Kentucky.
He could easily be an 18-10-8 guy as a primary PG, I believe.
It is all about his shooting. At 30% from three he just gums up the offense where SGA, JDub, and even Chet are looking to drive.
Thanks for updates on OKC. Will be interesting to see how they shake out. They have a ton of decisions and they can't keep everyone.