NBA Trade Deadline: Are the Lakers & Celtics the Perfect Trading Partners? YES!

Believe me, I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking, “How dare this idiot advocate the Lakers and Celtics trade with each other! Doesn’t he know that is the equivalent of basketball blasphemy?”

I do realize that these two proud franchises have more hatred for each other than most players had for the lockout, however I also know solid trading partners when I see them and the Lakers and Celtics are it.

There is also a great deal of mutual respect between these two historic franchises, and while General Managers Mitch Kupchak and Danny Ainge may not take in a matinee together, they most certainly will call each other in the hopes of bettering their respective teams.

The Lakers are in absolute win-now mode with Kobe Bryant demanding excellence and the entire front office dedicated to winning as many titles as possible before he retires. The Celtics on the other hand are in the difficult situation of trying to rebuild on the fly, free up cap space to go after top-tier free agents and still be a perennial playoff contender.

With the Celtics roster filled with quality but over-priced veterans and the Lakers lineup filled with quality players but large holes as well, Kupchak and Ainge should have no problem finding common trading ground.

Here are two simple yet realistic trades that these two legendary franchises could make before the trade deadline:

Lakers Trade Gasol, Morris and a No. 1 Pick to the Celtics for Rondo and O'Neal

Lakers Trade: Pau Gasol, Darius Morris and the Mavs #1 pick

Celtics Trade: Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O’Neal

This is the most straight forward, simple and painless trade these two arch rivals can make, period.

Jermaine O’Neal is both an old draft mate and pal of Kobe Bryant and an aging and declining player the Celtics would have no problem losing in a deal for Pau Gasol.

Rajon Rondo in truth is by far the best Boston Celtics basketball player at present, however he is not, nor has he ever been considered a true Celtic in the same way that Pierce, Garnett and Allen have, fair or not. Rondo has always been viewed as aloof at best and downright surly at worst and has never received the respect he deserves in Beantown.

Receiving a future Hall of Fame and top-five power forward in Gasol along with perhaps the best passing point guard in last year's draft in Darius Morris as well as a solid first-round pick in this year's extremely deep draft for Rondo and a throw-in Jermaine O’Neal is not a bad deal for the Celtics, especially in the short term.

A Gasol, Garnett, Bass front court would be lethal coupled with Pierce and Allen and while the Celtics would certainly miss Rondo they may be able to sign a Gilbert Arenas to fill in this year and draft or sign a long-term replacement in the offseason such as Kendall Marshall, Raymond Felton, etc.

As for the Lakers, trading Pau for Rondo would seem to violate the unwritten rule that says one should never trade big for small, however Rondo certainly fills an area of need for the Lakers and in the Lakers' mind, a Rondo and Jermaine O’Neal pairing holds more present value than a Gasol and Darius Morris, who plays sparingly, duo holds in the short term.

In the long term Rondo, also holds much more value to the Lakers as he is much younger, not to mention cheaper than Gasol.

Celtics Trade Pierce & Rondo to Lakers for Gasol, Barnes, Morris & (2) #1 Picks

Lakers Trade: Pau Gasol, Matt Barnes, Darius Morris and the Lakers and Mavs No. 1 picks

Celtics Trade: Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo

Followed up by a trade of the Lakers TPE (obtained in the Lamar Odom trade to the Mavs) for Jermaine O’Neal

This would be one of the most talked about NBA trades since Kareem Abdul-Jabaar was traded from the Bucks to the Lakers! While it would seem to be almost unthinkable for the Celtics to trade one of the five best players in franchise history along with their current best player to the dreaded Lakers, this trade simply makes far too much sense to dismiss out of hand.

The fact is that Paul Pierce simply does not fit into the Celtics future plans. He is an aging, extremely high-paid veteran who deals with injuries on a regular basis and with two more seasons and more than $32 million remaining on his contract.

Now may be the time to move him. Receiving a quality veteran small forward with an expiring contract in Barnes, two first-round picks in what is being billed as the deepest draft since 1996 and tens of millions of dollars in salary space may sound very good to Danny Ainge come the trade deadline.

In regards to the Lakers, this trade is a high risk, high reward gamble as while it would add tens of millions in salary to an already extremely pricey payroll, it would also fill the Lakers two greatest needs in a starting point guard and small forward and give them perhaps the most balanced starting lineup in the league.

This is a win-now move if ever there was one, and a move that should most definitely earn the approval of Kobe Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics…perfect trading partners after all!