ESPN's John Hollinger has written many articles before on trade scenarios. With the deadline quickly approaching, he wrote an article today on possible trades that should happen.He even wrote one for the Indiana Pacers. Here's basically how it's broken down:
Pacers Get: Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass
Celtics Get: Darren Collison, Josh Smith
Hawks Get: Jermaine O'Neal, Roy Hibbert
Honestly, this isn't really a bad trade.
However, I don't know if all sides would even agree to this. The Celtics have made it clear they don't want to trade Rondo, especially after his amazing performance earlier this week.
Adding to that, for the Pacers, they're trading their future. Darren Collison has shown he can be the franchise point guard and Roy Hibbert has been a franchise player for Indy along with Danny Granger.
The Hawks don't get much out of the deal but Hibbert. Atlanta already have some good big men, and that's something they shouldn't be worrying about as much as they should at point guard.
I wouldn't mind the trade, but as a Pacers' fan, I'm afraid it ruins the team's chemistry. I mean, if things are going good, don't break it. Indiana needs team basketball for them, not having a guy like Rondo surrounding them as the star player. Plus, he's been reported to be a headcase, and I don't think Indy wants to deal with that.
Here's what Hollinger wrote:
What do you guys think about this trade?
Indiana is a great destination for Rondo; all the Pacers need is a point guard who can pass and their offense will match their fierce defense. Losing Hibbert is a high price to pay, but the Pacers were going to have to pay a pretty penny to keep him this summer and Collison the year after. With this deal, they would get some cost certainty, and adding Bass shores up the frontcourt loss of Hibbert.
Meanwhile, the Celtics slash over $6 million from their luxury tax bill by dumping O'Neal, who is unlikely to play again this season, on Atlanta, and get an inexpensive short-term replacement for Rondo in Collison. Most notably, Boston also gets Smith as a successor to Kevin Garnett at power forward, with Smith's ability to shift down to the 3 at times preserving some lineup flexibility.
As for Atlanta, adding Hibbert (and presumably re-signing him this summer) gives them a real center and allows the long hoped-for move of Al Horford to power forward. The trade also gets the money-starved Hawks under the luxury-tax line.
Josh has been writing since January 2009 and has founded the websites FootBasket, Hardcourt Mayhem, Gridiron Mayhem, and Staring Down Spike. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani
