The Next "Big" Move

Danny Ainge made a valid bid to get David West in a Celtics uniform but West ultimately wanted more money. The Celtics were offering in the neighborhood of $8.4 million per year. My guess is that when a guy like West sees DeAndre Jordan get an offer sheet of $10 million per year, he and his agent had to reconsider what Boston was able to offer.

The failed acquisition of West should not be blamed on Ainge but rather on the rapidly growing financial market in this warp speed free agent period.

So now that the David West trade is official gone in the wind what’s next for Boston?

Unfortunately the options are evaporating and money/cap space is extremely constrictive for this year’s Celtic team. The news about West seemingly came out of nowhere and now we all feel like something has to happen in its place and maybe it does. We have very specific needs in the areas of rebounding, size, and scoring. No one player realistically/financially attainable fits of all of our needs at once.

Here are a few known names that are still “available” given what the free agent market has set thus far:

Kwame Brown (at one point it seemed like a foregone conclusion he could join the team but what is he really worth?)

Samuel Dalembert (if Chandler and Nene are commanding $15 million he has to be cheaper, right?)

Reggie Evans (a rugged rebounder and defender check out his Green target here)

Kyrylo Fesenko (OK so maybe he is not exactly a known name)

Kris Humphries (this might be a stretch both financially and in terms of personality on the team but still worth investigating at this point)

Andrei Kirilenko (rumors have the Kings courting him but nothing is official)

Carl Landry (with his ties to our Purdue rookies and scoring ability he might be a suitable fit)

Leon Powe (familiar to us all you can check out his Green Target profile here)

Etan Thomas (strong defensive presence with some history of injuries)

Maybe Danny can surprise us with some other names who are available on the trade market (Chris Kaman, Emeka Okafor)? Either way we will stand by our team and welcome any newcomers and cherish those who have given to us already over the years. 

I am a Celtic and it is all about 18.