Ray Allen on his way out of boston?

[.40 Cal Flakes]

The Celtics have initiated trade proposals on Allen, multiple league sources say, and Boston is searching for a younger, less expensive guard and an expiring contract. This way they can find a replacement for the 34-year-old Allen without losing him and his $20 million expiring contract for nothing in free agency this summer. Only, there isn’t a shooting guard available who’s Allen’s peer. This threatens a perilous choice between transitioning for the future and refusing to compromise a chance to win a title now.

Allen is privately resigned to the fact that it’s unlikely the Celtics will want to re-sign him this summer. He’s believed to be intrigued with the possibility of joining the Miami Heat or staying close to his Connecticut home and signing with the New York Knicks. Nevertheless, Allen wants to stay a Celtic and that’s never wavered. Yet the sheer economics make it improbable unless he’s willing to cost himself several million dollars next year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

I can't believe that a little bit of struggling has the Celts looking to deal Allen. But I guess anything is possible in the league "where amazing happens".

[Hotshot]

I wonder how much he could demand this summer when he turns 35 years old.

Ray Allen would look good in a Raptor's uniform.

[.40 Cal Flakes]

i wonder how much he could demand this summer when he turns 35 years old.

Ray allen would look good in a raptor's uniform.

Yes he would!

[yertu damkule]

i wonder...would the kings consider sending martin & a big/long contract (say, nocioni) to boston for ray allen & his huuuuge expiring contract? i know it seems stupid, since the kings would essentially be giving away martin for a player who'd be pissed about being traded to the kings and likely wouldn't re-sign there...BUT:

- it rids the kings of nocioni's contract (~20+M & 3 more years left).
- it allows evans to move into his place as 'the man' on the kings (no coincidence that they've struggled to accomodate both martin & evans since martin came back). still not convinced evans is a PG (udrih hasn't been terrible), but allen plays off the ball much moreso than martin, and would be a deadly spot-up shooter playing with evans.
- kings aren't doing anything this year (and likely not next), but they have an interesting mix of good solid young players, starting, obviously, with evans, but casspi has been good, among others. adding allen doesn't necessarily disrupt that, since he likely won't re-sign with them, so they'd have a huge expiring contract to use this summer (and since it's sacto, they'll have to overpay for 2nd-tier FA's).
- i think the kings would like to get more back for martin, but perhaps getting rid of nocioni would be enough. i'm sure they'd like to get a good young player back on a reasonable deal, but the c**tics don't have much to offer in that regard. maybe another small expiring deal? or make it a blockbuster?

would boston do it? not sure...martin would help offensively, but he needs the ball in his hands (and is a volume shooter), so i'm not sure how he'd fit playing with rondo & pierce (who both like to have it as well). defensively, he's pretty bad, but the rest of the c**tics are so good, he could be hidden effectively. with the way garnett's game (offensively) has faded, they could use an offensive-minded guy to spread the floor. martin isn't the same knock-down shooter than ray-ray is (was?), and he can go hot/cold, but he's certainly no slouch. allen just fit that team so well, my guess is ainge will be fearful of disrupting the dynamic too much. of course, if he waits too long, and their recent play is more than just a slump, then they might miss the boat to turn allen into something that can help them this year.

[shadow warrior]

yes he would! :d

not.

[.40 Cal Flakes]

For what it’s worth, Danny Ainge seemed genuinely perplexed yesterday at further reports the Celtics [team stats] are trying to trade Ray Allen.

The general manager laughed at a couple of the rumors and was trying to understand how some that have been knocked down from both sides continue to get play.

“Let me just put it this way: We’re doing everything we can to win a championship now,” Ainge said. “We’re not going to do anything that might hurt our chances of winning.

“There’s no question we need to play better, but we’re not going to panic.”

http://bostonherald.com/sports/baske...icleid=1230003

Looks like Allen isn't going anywhere this season.

[MattyG-Ray]

i wonder...would the kings consider sending martin & a big/long contract (say, nocioni) to boston for ray allen & his huuuuge expiring contract? i know it seems stupid, since the kings would essentially be giving away martin for a player who'd be pissed about being traded to the kings and likely wouldn't re-sign there...BUT:

- it rids the kings of nocioni's contract (~20+M & 3 more years left).
- it allows evans to move into his place as 'the man' on the kings (no coincidence that they've struggled to accomodate both martin & evans since martin came back). still not convinced evans is a PG (udrih hasn't been terrible), but allen plays off the ball much moreso than martin, and would be a deadly spot-up shooter playing with evans.
- kings aren't doing anything this year (and likely not next), but they have an interesting mix of good solid young players, starting, obviously, with evans, but casspi has been good, among others. adding allen doesn't necessarily disrupt that, since he likely won't re-sign with them, so they'd have a huge expiring contract to use this summer (and since it's sacto, they'll have to overpay for 2nd-tier FA's).
- i think the kings would like to get more back for martin, but perhaps getting rid of nocioni would be enough. i'm sure they'd like to get a good young player back on a reasonable deal, but the c**tics don't have much to offer in that regard. maybe another small expiring deal? or make it a blockbuster?

would boston do it? not sure...martin would help offensively, but he needs the ball in his hands (and is a volume shooter), so i'm not sure how he'd fit playing with rondo & pierce (who both like to have it as well). defensively, he's pretty bad, but the rest of the c**tics are so good, he could be hidden effectively. with the way garnett's game (offensively) has faded, they could use an offensive-minded guy to spread the floor. martin isn't the same knock-down shooter than ray-ray is (was?), and he can go hot/cold, but he's certainly no slouch. allen just fit that team so well, my guess is ainge will be fearful of disrupting the dynamic too much. of course, if he waits too long, and their recent play is more than just a slump, then they might miss the boat to turn allen into something that can help them this year.

I'm not sure Martin needs the ball in his hands a ton, or is a volume shooter. He isn't the type of player who needs the ball at the start of the shot clock because he likes to pound it into the ground for 14 seconds. He would be more than capable of playing alongside Rondo and Pierce. Martin is one of the most efficient scorers in the league, because he shoots a solid percentage from the floor, and gets to the line as often as anyone in the league. You talked about Ray Allen as a knock down shooter, and that was the case over his career, but right now he is shooting 34% from three point range, which is pretty poor for your teams three point specialist. Martin could actually prove to be an upgrade from long range for the Celtics. As for Nocioni, he is actually a guy Boston reportedly expressed interest in over the last 2 years. Nocioni is tough player who can defend multiple positions and has a decent offensive game, that includes a nice perimeter jumper.

I think your trade makes a lot of sense for both teams. Boston gets two very good pieces for their stretch run, and Sacramento gets out from under two contracts allowing them to rebuild a little easier going forward.