There was a time when a still-good player with a massive -- $19.7 million -- expiring contract would have been the belle of the trading deadline ball.
Not this year. The Celtics have shopped Ray Allen around and tonight, after the trading deadline, he will suit up to take on the Lakers. Providing some kind of Danny Ainge miracle doesn’t happen.
Allen is not bad, but age is starting to win the race with the 34-year-old All-Star. He was the deadly catch-and-shoot assassin from Boston’s big three, but this season he is shooting just 33.8 percent from three (down from 40.9 percent last year). He’s also turning the ball over a little more, and isn’t quite the same on defense.
Still, the Celtics are relying on him -- the old amazing him, not the new still-pretty-good him -- to key a big playoff run this season. Him and a healthy Kevin Garnett. The odds of them getting both of those things -- either of those things -- tells you all you need to know about the Celtics title champions.