BOSTON, MA – With the NBA Draft just hours away, the phones are ringing off the hook. Draft prospects such as John Wall, Evan Turner and Demarcus Cousins are all waiting to hear their name called by NBA Commissioner David Stern. They know that they will be selcted early, but they are not all sure as to which hat they will be donning.
They are not the only players who will be carrying their cellphones today. The NBA Draft is synonymous with trades as well. Whether it is swapping draft picks or players for draft picks, you can expect to hear about plenty of player movement over the next day or so, and that is still a week before free agents can begin talking with other teams.
Will this be the last image we have of Perk in a C's jersey?
It is no secret that the Boston Celtics are shopping their first round draft pick, number 19 overall, but what they are looking for in exchange remains somewhat of a mystery.
You hear conflicting reports of whether they are going to blow up the roster and get younger immediately, or if they truly feel that they can make one more run at a title if they remain intact, more or less.
If they are just shopping the 19th pick, then it will most likely be an attempt to move down in the draft this year to select a player who they can sign cheaper, or move out of this year’s draft and stockpile picks for the future, a la the New England Patriots.
However, if they were to package their pick with a player, I have been hearing Kendrick Perkins’ name being thrown out there as a possibility. If this were to take place, it would accomplish two things. First, it would mean that they would clear some salary cap space, as Perk has an expiring contract (which is always an attractive offer to many teams) that will pay him $4.4 million next season. It would also be enough of a package to move them into the top few picks to draft a big man, most likely. They still get younger, while saving some money, and we all know that they are now a bit cash strapped.
If the team were to accomplish this feat, they would most likely be looking to select someone such as Cousins out of Kentucky, or Derrick Favors of Georgia Tech. If they cannot quite move up that high, they would look at Georgetown’s Greg Monroe or North Carolina’s Ed Davis.
Either way, I do not see the Celtics holding on to the #19 pick. Time will tell as the NBA Draft starts at 7:30 PM tonight.
I’m stuck on keeping the team together and unloading the 19th pick for a first rounder in 2011. We have another shot with this team if we keep everyone together. Plus, I don’t see us trading one of the best established centers in the league for a draft pick and hope.