I can actually see him going to the Celtics. Here's how and why:
The Celtics have a payroll of $83 million, second only to that of the Lakers, but they could trade the contracts of Rasheed Wallace, Jermaine O'Neil and Shaquille O'Neil, and maybe throw in one more million dollar piece of ballast, like Marquis Daniels, to make it fit under the cap rule All of those Celtics contracts expire at the end of this season.
So then the questions are:
1) Why should Orlando deal with the Celtics? The Celtics can include Chris Wilcox, who is a good player, and then they have a second, first round pick next year from the Perkins trade, as well as their own, and maybe Orlando would look favorably upon taking on long cheap contracts for Avery Bradley and/or JaJuan Johnson, who can be retained for three and four years respectively for less than $2 million a year each. Not a bad return for a player who otherwise can and will walk in a couple of months, and,
2) Why should Howard "approve" the trade?
Howard gets a good shot at winning it all this year, and maybe next, if he simply commits to exercising his one year, $19 million player option. Remember, for all the blather we hear about Kedrick Perkins, the Celtics were 7-4 with him last year, whereas they won over 80% of their games in which Shaq played 20 minutes and Perkins didn't play. If Shaq hadn't gotten injured, the Celtics would have won it again last year. Howard has a single year player option for about $3 million more than the new "max", so he could agree to renew for just next year. The Celtics could resign Ray Allen, who is on a pace to set the NBA record for 3 point field goal percentage, and add a pretty good player with their mid level option and make one last run next year before going into Sidney Wicks/Curtis Rowe mode. Howard would then be a free agent after the end of the 2012/2013 season.
How might he land elsewhere?
The Celtics have a payroll of $83 million, second only to that of the Lakers, but they could trade the contracts of Rasheed Wallace, Jermaine O'Neil and Shaquille O'Neil, and maybe throw in one more million dollar piece of ballast, like Marquis Daniels, to make it fit under the cap rule All of those Celtics contracts expire at the end of this season.
So then the questions are:
1) Why should Orlando deal with the Celtics? The Celtics can include Chris Wilcox, who is a good player, and then they have a second, first round pick next year from the Perkins trade, as well as their own, and maybe Orlando would look favorably upon taking on long cheap contracts for Avery Bradley and/or JaJuan Johnson, who can be retained for three and four years respectively for less than $2 million a year each. Not a bad return for a player who otherwise can and will walk in a couple of months, and,
2) Why should Howard "approve" the trade?
Howard gets a good shot at winning it all this year, and maybe next, if he simply commits to exercising his one year, $19 million player option. Remember, for all the blather we hear about Kedrick Perkins, the Celtics were 7-4 with him last year, whereas they won over 80% of their games in which Shaq played 20 minutes and Perkins didn't play. If Shaq hadn't gotten injured, the Celtics would have won it again last year. Howard has a single year player option for about $3 million more than the new "max", so he could agree to renew for just next year. The Celtics could resign Ray Allen, who is on a pace to set the NBA record for 3 point field goal percentage, and add a pretty good player with their mid level option and make one last run next year before going into Sidney Wicks/Curtis Rowe mode. Howard would then be a free agent after the end of the 2012/2013 season.
How might he land elsewhere?
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