I’m listening to Mike Evans and Joel Klatt on 104.3 FM, they are talking to Scott Hastings about the breaking story that Boston general manager Danny Ainge is willing to break up the “Big Three” that consists of 36 year-old Ray Allen, 35 year-old Kevin Garnett, and 34 year-old Paul Pierce. Could the Nuggets be in the market for any of them? Should Denver be interested?
I'm not sure if Boston will actually pull the trigger on a deal, but with the ages and upcoming free agency of a couple of the Big Three – it might make sense for Boston to shake things up. And a few contenders could get the right player to push them over the top.
The remaining contracts:
Paul Pierce: makes $15.3 million this season, $16.7M in 2012-13, and $15.3M in 2013-14.
Ray Allen: making $10M this season and will be a free agent after the season.
Kevin Garnett: making $21.2M this season and will be a free agent after the season.
You only make a deal for one of these guys if you feel your team is right on the brink of a title. Would the Thunder chase after Kevin Garnett to toughen up their interior defense? Perhaps Ray Allen could be the sniper they need off Russell Westbrook drive-and-dishes?
Wouldn’t the Lakers put in a call for Los Angeles native Pierce? Would Lakers fans riot if that happened? Might the Mavs want to plug KG in for Brendan Haywood? What about the Hawks? With Al Horford out, they sure could use KG in the middle. The Spurs sure wouldn’t mind plugging a veteran scorer in with Manu Ginobili missing extended time.
There are lots of possibilities around the League for these aging veterans. The Nuggets surely have the assets to get a deal done, but why mortgage their future when the team is still trying grow together?
Where will the Big Three wind up?
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