Celtics Trade Proposal

Let me start by saying the following trade idea is very unlikely to happen and that Rajon Rondo, the main piece being traded by Boston, is my favorite Celtics player since Larry Bird.

The basis for this trade proposal is that the Celtics look like they will take at least one more shot at the title with the veteran trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.  Garnett and Allen have one more year on their respective contracts and Doc Rivers is back with a new deal to try and get a second championship out of the "Big 3."

The problem with that plan is that this team needs to take some of the offensive pressure off of their veterans.  For as great as Rondo is, he struggles to consistently score the ball.  However, other than Rondo, Danny Ainge has no other marketable trade chips to land the Celtics a scorer.

That is why I think Ainge should package Rondo along with the Clippers 2012 first round pick that he acquired in the Kendrick Perkins-Jeff Green trade (which is Top 10 protected) in order to acquire Hornets point guard Chris Paul.

As far fetched as it is, trading Paul makes a lot of sense for the Hornets.  They are currently being operated by the NBA due to the inability of former owner George Shinn to continue to financially support the team.  By trading Paul - who is set to be a free agent after 2012 - they can add an All-Star point guard in Rondo who is under contract for four more years at the very reasonable price of 11-million per season and a draft pick that can help them in the rebuilding process.

From Boston's perspective, Paul gives them one of the game's elite point guards.  He is a player that can dominate a game by scoring or passing.  To see just how great Paul is, watch Game 1 of the Hornets 2011 playoff series with the Lakers.

Adding Paul would take pressure of Pierce and Allen to handle the scoring duties and would keep them on the short list of teams who could compete for the 2012 title.  His presence would also help Ainge recruit potential 2012 free agent Dwight Howard, who has talked about joining forces with Paul when they became free agents.

Ainge has made outrageous trades before and is not afraid of taking risks so Rondo's importance to the team over the last four years will not prevent him from being moved.  Trading for Chris Paul would improve the Celtics and in the end, that is all Ainge cares about.