Can Danny?

Lucky 7. It seems like a perfect fit for the Celtics but many people seem interested in trading the pick. The reasons vary from the echoes of Pitino (We have enough youth) to the hoping for a franchise player (We need a top talent on this team). But what can we get, what are the odds that something could transpire?

Toronto - Pick 1: Tongues are wagging ever since the buzz came out that Colangelo might be looking to trade down. The problem with us moving up to get the #1, however, is that in order to offer enough to get Toronto interested, we'd likely have to give up too much. The best offer we could really give would be Gerald Green and the #7 for first pick but is anyone in this draft enough of a sure thing to give up a supposed top 5 prospect in Green and the seventh pick which, if just one person leaps into the top six, could yield a very talented prospect? In my opinion, the answer is no. If there is a deal, I think the most likely candidates are: Portland, Golden St. , or Seattle.

Chicago - Picks 2, 16: Moving up to the two would likely cost us Paul Pierce. This deal has been discussed over and over again so I'm not sure there's a need to address it again. While I would like to dream of a Deng and 16 for 7 and something (I'd say Allen but his last visit to Chicago didn't work out so well) type deal, I'm not sure it makes sense for the Bulls. In this draft, the person at 7 could easily be worse than the person as 16, and to give up a known commodity like Deng doesn't add up. Again, I think Seattle has the good to go after the 2 and there's always the oft-rumored Garnett trade. I think Chicago's focus will be on acquiring a star so if Pierce isn't on the block, we're not in the talks.

Charlotte - Pick 3: Trading down to seven would likely move them out of the range of Morrison or Roy so I doubt they'd make a deal unless, again, we offered too much.

Portland - Pick 4, 30: And now the fun begins. Telfair and Ratliff for Raef and the 7. Raef, Al, and the 7 for Zach and Outlaw. Miles, Skinner, #4 for Wally and #7. There are definitely possibilities. Word out of Portland is that they are looking to acquire another high pick so I'm not sure if we have a legit shot to move up with them, however a swap of pick for player is possible. The recent firing of John Nash could throw a monkey wrench into the plans though. Interim GM's rarely have the power to make major shakeups. On the other hand, if Nash was the only Telfair fan in the front office, then Bassy could become all the more available in a deal. While I think Ratliff and Miles are likely headed to NY this offseason, there is a definite possibility that a deal between the C's and the Blazers could transpire (even if it is just a future pick for their #30 selection).

Atlanta - Pick 5: I'm not even going to begin to say that I know what is in Billy Knight's head so this one is wide open. My guess is that he wouldn't be interested but this man also lost high lotto picks in deals for Lorenzen Wright, Big Dog Robinson, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Minnesota - Pick 6: I can't really see anything transpiring.

Houston - Pick 8: If we really want two picks back to back, we could probably make an offer for this but I don't think it is likely.

Golden St. - Pick 9: The lottery veterans are entering their second decade of lottery picks. Clearly '95 to '05 wasn't very successful. This team is absolutely loaded with talented players so a deal could definitely be made. Baron is the most obvious target, however if the team wants to unload a contract, they might consider moving Troy Murphy. I'm not so sure how interested I am in their veterans (most of whom are overpaid) but I wouldn't put it past Ainge to see something that tickles his fancy.

Seattle - Pick 10: I think Seattle has bigger fish to fry than moving up a bit to get the 7. Rashard Lewis is likely on the block but as he could opt out in one year, it isn't worth giving up too much for him. Better offers lay elsewhere for Seattle.

Orlando - Pick 11: I don't see anything available on their roster that interests me all that much. Anything worth having isn't on the trading block.

New Orleans - Pick 12, 15: An odds on favorite for most likely trade, the Hornets could easily move down and allow the C's to pick up a couple of good young prospects. The question is: do we really have the roster space for two more young bodies? We have ten bodies that aren't going anywhere. If we do make this deal, it's probably sayanora to Orien Greene and Dwayne Jones. Also, this move would allow Danny to take both a player who will have an immediate impact as well as a project. Of course, this deal can't be really made until the first six picks go down because I'd hate to miss out on someone like Ty Thomas or Rudy Gay because we traded down before the draft.

Philadelphia - 13: The BYC on Korver and Dalembert make any deals hard to figure but I wouldn't be stunned if some sort of offer was brewing in the heads of Billy King and Ainge. If the Sixers are looking to clear out their two long term deals (Korver and Dalembert) they might be interested in Raef's smaller contract, moving up 6 spots, and one of our young guys. It's highly unlikely though.

Utah - 14: The Jazz are another team that is looking to move up. They are also looking to cut salary. If all they want is shorter team contracts then something along the lines of Raef and the 7 for Boozer and the 14 could be the starting point of trade discussions. It would likely take one of our young guys to make it happen. Still, the Jazz have got to think they can get a little something better (or an expiring contract) for Carlos. Granted, Kevin O'Connor is a god-awful GM so it could happen but I'd think that they'd rather wait on other possible offers rather than take a deal like we can offer on draft day.

Indiana - 17: Veal for the 17! I wish. Something involving Jackson and Tinsley for Raef and the 7? Bird's nest is a mess and there isn't much that I'd be interested in getting back in a deal. There's always Jermaine, Jackson for Wally, Jefferson, Green and the 7 but I don't see Indiana going for that one.

Washington - 18: Antawn Jamison could again be on the move but we'd probably have to throw in one of our young guys along with Raef and the 7 for him. And how much do we really want him? His deal is a year shorter than Raef's (two years shorter if he opts out) but again, this is likely a situation in which we have to give up a lot for a veteran who could be gone before we know it. There's something to talk about here but, most likely, nothing that I'd say Yes to.

Sacramento - 19: By this point in the draft, we'd have to get a pretty damn good player to move down this far or we're giving up a young guy for another pick. One issue that doesn't help us is that Tony Allen's court case won't be cleaned up until after the draft so I'm not sure how interested people will be in him. He'd be the most likely to go unless Gomes play impressed people enough to fetch a late pick. Sactown might be interested in Allen but I can't see a deal being made.

New York - 20, 29: I would hope to god that Ainge isn't interested in Marbury. Wally and Veal for Mo Taylor (expiring deal) and Jamal Crawford could be interesting although if we have to fall from 7 to 20, 29 it becomes less intriguing. Again, there are deals to be discussed here but the odds of them actually panning out aren't likely.

Phoenix - 21, 27: Don't really see anything happening. Not sure who we have besides Pierce that would really interest them or who we'd be willing to give up for these late picks. Kurt Thomas could be on the block but, again, we don't really have anything of interest.

New Jersey - 22, 23: If only they had one more higher pick they could reenact their Eddie Griffin deal from 2001. Except we'd be on the right side of the deal as opposed to Houston being on the wrong end. While there might be talk of a trade, the Nets need as many guys on small rookie deals as they can manage. Two upperclassmen will likely be the choice here for the Nets who could bolster their bench if they choose wisely.

Memphis - 24: Memphis has been looking at combo guards. They might be interested in Delonte but what do they have that would entice us to deal him? You have to really hate Veal or love someone who slipped to 24 to think he and Delonte for Damon Stoudamire and the 24 is a deal that we should make.

Cleveland - 25: I might just cry if we made some sort of deal involving the 7 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Again, by this point deals will be very minor, a future first for a pick. With 2007 looking like it could be a loaded draft, it would be better to show some patience. On a side note, can you believe Drew Gooden is just ending his rookie contract? Hasn't it seemed like he's been in the league longer than that?

LA Lakers - 26: As I've written before, I'd love to go after Lamar Odom. Even if it took Wally and moving down from 7 to this spot I think it could be a very positive move for Gang Green.

Dallas - 28: They're pretty stacked at every position and I'm sure Nellie already has some hard-to-pronounce name with a lot of vowels on an index card somewhere waiting.

Teams without picks:

Denver: I don't want to go anywhere near Kenyon Martin so let's not even discuss that. A sign-and-trade with Nene probably would take longer than the draft to finalize. Probably nothing to see here.

Detroit: Nada mucho.

Miami: Is it time to trade for 'Toine again or do we need to reacquire Eric Williams again first? Unless they implode and are willing to deal Jason Williams for scraps and the 7, nothing will likely go down.

LA Clippers: The Clippers were rumored to be shopping Corey Maggette for a lottery pick. While I like Corey, I just don't see him fitting here.

Milwaukee: A deal for Magloire and Mo Williams involving the 7 would be interesting but we don't have the contracts that would make Milwaukee want to pull the trigger. Tony Allen for Mo is possible but that would likely go down after the draft and after their GM can't get any better for his Mo/Magloire package (but he probably could get better deals so it's a stretch). If nobody falls, Mo Williams for the 7 is interesting but I'm not sold that Mo, a true PG, is THAT good. Would we better rolling the dice on a combo guard like Foye instead? This is a team that I'd love to deal with but I think other teams have more to offer.

San Antonio: They'll likely finalize the deal with the Hornets (Bones Barry for JR Smith) which didn't get to the commish's office in time for the midseason deadline. I don't think we have the assets that they need to get back on top. I can't really see anything going down with us.

So what it all comes down to is that if David Stern make the nerve-racking yet joyous utterance that he has a trade to announce, the most likely partners with the C's are Portland and New Orleans with the Lakers & Jazz being dark horses and the Nuggets and Wizards being longshots that I don't think many people want to see come in.