In 2008, the Celtics were the hottest team in the NBA. Led by the Big 3 – Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett – the team won Boston its 17th championship.
The C’s continued to have success the next three years, but this year, not so much.
The Celtics are old and struggling, while every other team in the Eastern Conference is younger, winning and passing them by (Celtics are currently 5-8 and a half game back from the New York Knicks for the final playoff spot).
Vice president of basketball operations Danny Ainge sees this and is considering a “major move involving the Big Three if it would help foster the team’s transition to the next era,” according to the Boston Globe.
“(Red Auerbach) had a chance to trade Larry (Bird) (to Indiana) for Chuck Person and Herb Williams and (Steve) Stipanovich and he had a chance to trade Kevin (McHale) (to Dallas) for Detlef Schrempf and Sam Perkins,” Ainge said Wednesday, according to the Globe. “I was like are you kidding? I mean I feel that way now. If I were presented with those kind of deals for our aging veterans, it’s a done deal to continue the success.”
The C’s made a big, and surprising, move last year to get younger by trading Kendrick Perkins along with Nate Robinson to the Thunder for Jeff Green.
But that didn’t work out too well and Green is out for the season after he was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm.
If the Celtics want to make the playoff this year they’ll have to trade one of the old guys for some young talent.
The player who would probably give them the most trade value is Paul Pierce. Pierce has two years left on his contract while Allen and Garnett contracts are up at the end of the season. A lot of teams would want a player like Pierce and would give up some young players and draft picks to have him.
If the Celtics plan to stay contenders in the East they have to make a move before the trade deadline and my guess is Pierce will be on the move.