During early December, the Celtics were in talks about adding Omer Asik to their roster through potential trades involving Brandon Bass, Jeff Green, and/or Phil Pressey. Since those talks have died down, the Celtics haven’t been in many trade rumors, but an opportunity has presented itself this past week.
The Cavaliers have put Andrew Bynum on paid leave after he exhibited “conduct detrimental to the team”. The Lakers have already shown some interest in re-acquiring Bynum, even though the talks have stalled at the moment. The Celtics should at least discuss acquiring Andrew Bynum from Cleveland, and could do so in a few different ways.
Bynum is a big man with tons of potential, but due to his attitude and personal approach to the game, he’s never really tapped into it. That being said, Bynum is a two-time NBA champion with the Lakers and was a 2012 NBA All-Star and All-NBA second team member. There are also a number of injuries that have kept him sidelined many times throughout his career (Philadelphia fans can attest to that).
Much like the potential deal involving Asik, the Celtics could go a few different with a deal for Bynum. They could trade one (or several) players to bring Bynum to Beantown, which could also have long-term financial benefits for the team.
The ideal trade would send Kris Humphries to Cleveland for Bynum. This could be beneficial to both teams - Humphries has an expiring deal and is making $12 million this season. Humphries has been solid off the bench, but the Celtics are stacked at the power forward position and can afford to let Humphries go for Bynum.
Another option would be for Boston to send Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee to Cleveland for Bynum. Both players have been solid for Boston, particularly Bass, who’s put together a good season. Bass could be a nice addition for Cleveland along with Courtney Lee.
Though these two deals would work financially for both teams, those trades aren’t very likely. Boston has been in a few trade talks so far this season, but Ainge and company don’t seem to be looking to make deals that will help the team win now. They’re focused on the rebuilding process.
That being said, this deal could also help Boston’s future. If they were to make a trade involving Bynum before January 7th, they could potentially waive him and get six million dollars in cap space. That would give them some room to make deals for the future, or even in free agency next summer.
For that to happen, though, the Celtics would need to make the trade by next Tuesday – it’s very unlikely, but trades and adjustments in the NBA can happen in the blink of an eye, so that deal isn’t impossible.
The ideal trade would likely involve giving up Humphries’ contract and then just waiving Bynum. Even with his potential, he hasn’t given a team a reason to hold on to him for the long run. The Celtics could get some other pieces after waiving Bynum in a trade, so even if he doesn’t offer anything himself, he could still help the organization indirectly.
The fact that Boston is involved in all of these trade rumors makes them seem likely to pursue some kind of deal before the deadline. Whether it’s a Bynum deal or not, a change in Boston before the deadline would come as no surprise.
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