Knicks and Nets both want draft picks, what could Celtics get from them in return?


Neither of the New York franchises has a single pick in top 54 of this year's draft.  To no surprise, they'd both like to change that:


The Celtics have eight selections and obviously won't be able to fit them all on their roster.  Let's make a deal.  What do the Knicks and Nets have that Boston might want (spoiler--not much)?  Here are some potential trade ideas with each club:


Knicks

 Looking at New York's roster, I see only three players the C's might have interest in--Kristaps Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony and Robin Lopez.  Porzingis isn't going anywhere.  Anthony has a no-trade clause and I don't think he wants to come to Boston, but here's a thought anyway:

Carmelo Anthony for the No. 3 and No. 16 picks, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko and James Young.

The money works, the Celtics continue their climb towards the top of the Eastern Conference and the Knicks rebuild around Porzingis, the two picks and their likely very high lottery choice next year.

Lopez has three years left on his contract at roughly $14 million per, which won't sound like much once the salary cap explodes.  He could be a solid and reasonably-priced center in Boston (maybe off the bench) for the next few seasons.

Robin Lopez for pick No. 23 and Amir Johnson.

Honestly I'm not even sure I like this swap, but any deal the Celtics make for an expensive player pretty much has to include Johnson since he's the only guy they have making more than $8 million (unless they want to use up cap room, which seems unlikely for somebody as insignificant as Robin Lopez).  Lopez for Johnson is basically a wash for next year, so you'd be dealing the 23rd pick for Lopez in 2017-18 and 2018-19.


Nets

 On Brooklyn's roster, I could envision the Celts wanting Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Brook Lopez for No. 16, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko and RJ Hunter.

Similar to the offer for his brother Robin, but the better Lopez is only under contract for two more years (at an average of $21.5 million).

Thaddeus Young for No. 23, No. 45, No. 58, Jonas Jerebko, and James Young or RJ Hunter.

This brings the Celtics a good player in his prime for 2-3 more years (Young has a player option for $13.8 million in 2018-19) without surrendering anything they really care about, but it also gives the Nets several chances at finding a diamond in the rough--something they desperately need right now.

Bojan Bogdanovic for No. 35, No. 45, and James Young.

The 27-year old averaged 10.1 points per game and shot 37 percent from three for the Nets the past two seasons, but who knows if the scoring translates to a better club.  Still, this has some of the same merits for both teams as the Thad Young option.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for No. 23 and No. 51.

The 23rd pick from last year's draft for No. 23 this year, with a little extra.  Not sure either team would actually want to do this, other than to eliminate extra bodies for Boston and give some to Brooklyn.




Follow Mark Van Deusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan
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