Which disordered teams could be targeted by Danny Ainge in a trade?


Predators prey on the sick, weak and disoriented. Danny Ainge is not in the predator category - but let's say that when he places a call to another NBA executive, that exec should immediately get into defensive mode. There are several teams that are presently in a state of disorder. Their phones may be ringing soon.


No NBA team is in a worse state of entropy (lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder - for the crossword fans) than the Los Angeles Lakers. No sooner had Magic Johnson walked out the door, then Luke Walton left to Coach the Kings. And now Walton has been accused of sexual battery. The Lakers are a mess.


Coach Igor Kokoskov recently became the latest casualty in the Phoenix Suns ongoing saga. He was fired after only one season.


Oh, and back to the Sacramento Kings. As a team that rarely seems to get anything right, they now have to deal with the accusations against their new coach, Luke Walton. I will add the Pelicans to my list. They finished 13th in the West and now have to decide what to do, or not do, with super-star, Anthony Davis.

Ainge has at least three first-round picks in the June 20th NBA draft, and there may be a fourth if the Memphis pick drops below the 8th spot. There is no way Danny is going to retain all of those picks. There will almost certainly be a trade of some sort - it just depends on the identity of his next GM-victim.

As far as phone calls, the Spurs, Clippers, Rockets and Warriors are out. They are too stable to be taken advantage of. They are poor prey. Danny goes way back with the Suns. That may be a good start. The Kings? Ditto. How about the Lakers? That is up in the air. Ainge will wait to see who takes over in LA LA Land.

And now to the Pelicans. We have heard plenty about this - Anthony Davis to Boston. David Griffin is now in charge in New Orleans, and he is looking to get the best-bang-for-the-buck if he goes with trading AD. Griffin is no fool, and he knows he won't get that from Danny. The oft-presented-by-media proposition of Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown for Davis will not happen.




So get ready. The Celtics are facing the tough Bucks in the Second Round, and that will be exciting. But the draft and summer are going to be interesting - to say the least. I always said no one does revenge like Mel Gibson, as he did in the movie, Lethal Weapon. Danny has already fleeced a number of teams, and the only question now is, "Who's f***ing next!" Why do I feel sorry for Danny's next victim already?

Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel and Facebook

Photo via Frank O'Brien/Boston Globe