February Trade Rumors: Paul Pierce to the Nuggets

With Jared Sullinger now out for the season after back surgery, even more "break it up" rumors have swirled about the Celtics two coveted pieces, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Personally, I find it very unlikely that KG will be moved due to the fact that he has a no trade clause and can waive any deal. For KG to leave Boston, a guaranteed shot at the finals would have to be in play, and there are maybe one or two places in the league that have both the cap and the talent to offer that. 

(It may be time for Pierce to leave Boston.)

If one piece is going to be moved, it is most likely going to be Pierce(who I would hate to see retire in any other jersey besides the green), as he offers more scoring for a contender looking to bolster up. With the Nuggets charging in the West(now just a game out of 4th to gain home court advantage), they may look to improve the one area they are lacking: a proven scorer who could create his own shot late. Here is what I would propose:


Celtics Get: 
 -Corey Brewer - SF
Contract: 1 Year $3,243,000
-Danilo Galinari - SF
Contract: 4 Years $9,349,000

Nuggets Get:
-Paul Pierce - SF
Contract: 2 Years $16,790,345


Why for Denver:
-The Nuggets finally get the scoring punch they need. While Galinari is having a solid season(leading the team with 17PPG), he is not Pierce by any means in terms of being able to create his own shot as well as the late game heroics. Trotting out a starting lineup of Lawson, Iguodala, Pierce, Faried and Mozgov makes the Nuggets a team no one wants to face come playoff time, and they shed the contract of Galinari that is probably a bit too high for what his production is. They can run with Pierce for this year and next, and have him help groom this young roster into a steady Western Contender. By trading away both Brewer and Galinari, the Nuggets also eliminate the logjam at the three spot, and now have Wilson Chandler solely backing up Pierce. 

(Galinari gives the Celtics a scorer for the future.)

Why for Boston:
-The obvious is getting rid of Pierce's contract. While they bind themselves a bit with Galinari's, he fits into a Rondo offense very well as someone who likes to run. Galinari isn't the best defender, but in a team defense mentality like the Celtics, he can only improve and won't be put in as many one-on-one situations like he would in Denver(Boston would most likely use Jeff Green for those). Speaking of Green, this gives the Celtics an option if they want to try to trade him, as they have a new small forward for the future. 

Brewer is an expiring deal that brings a ton of energy to a Boston bench that dearly needs it, and he could be a future piece if the Celtics decided to resign him with some of the new cap money(especially if Garnett retires). A future of Rondo, Bradley, Galinari, Green, Brewer and a healthy Sullinger(and Oden...too soon?) is a much smaller step back than people are expecting the Celtics to take once the remaining pieces of the Big Three are gone. 


We will be doing proposed trade rumors throughout the month(some crazy, some not so crazy, some so crazy that they actually make sense), so make sure to keep up and let us know what you think in the comments. Here are the first and second installments of February Trade Rumors.

-BFord