Could Danny Ainge repeat his 2007 trade magic this offseason?

Is Sully the next Big Al?
There was recently a topic of conversation on the Celtics reddit page entitled "If Ainge is currently planning another 2007 like move for this off season, who are the star players you think he would pick up?"  That summer Danny Ainge shipped a young talented big man (Al Jefferson) off to Minnesota for a superstar power forward/center named Kevin (Garnett). What if he did exactly that all over again?

One name that never comes up in Celtics trade discussions is Jared Sullinger, who's viewed as a solid building block and a potential star for years to come.  But it's assets like that which can be used to bring in a big time player.  In this case I'm talking about the Timberwolves Kevin Love.

Keep in mind this hypothetical deal would go down this summer, not at the trade deadline next week.  Love will have just one season left on his contract, and the T-Wolves will most likely be looking to move him rather than risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season.  Obviously Sulllinger on his own wouldn't be enough to get Love, but he might be a nice start.  If Boston threw in several draft picks as well, is it possibly Minnesota might go for it?


Normally a trade like this can't happen, but with the left over exception from the Brooklyn deal last June, the C's can take on the extra money (although it might be necessary to include another small salary, maybe Phil Pressey, Chris Johnson, or Vitor Faverani).  By this time the contracts of Kris Humphries ($12 million) and Keith Bogans ($5 million) will have expired, so Boston can afford to pay Love without going over the cap.

If Ainge doesn't make any major moves this week we'd be looking at a 2014 starting five of Rondo, Bradley, Green, Bass, and Love, with this year's lottery pick in the mix as well.  That's a club that could be back on the verge of contention in no time.


Follow Mark Vandeusen on twitter @LucidSportsFan