Though president of basketball operations Danny Ainge labeled any moves prior to the deadline "unlikely," Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald quoted one rival executive who thinks Ainge is being a bit misleading.
The trade deadline arrives Thursday afternoon, and it's possible the Boston Celtics could look very different by then.
Though president of basketball operations Danny Ainge labeled any moves prior to the deadline "unlikely," Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald quoted one rival executive who thinks Ainge is being a bit misleading.
“They’re too active,” said the executive. “They’ve been putting a lot of different things out there, and you’d have to think at least one of them is going to come through.”
If the Celtics do make a deal, it could be similar to one of the following rumors:
Persistent rumor No. 1: Kevin Garnett to the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan
One deal reportedly discussed for weeks has been Kevin Garnett to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package headlined by Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, "the Celtics have been eager to continue the conversation on the deal" but the Clippers have cut off talks unless Chris Paul urges them otherwise.
Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that the Clippers are a "house divided" on whether to deal Bledsoe, and trying to determine whether adding Garnett to make a stand this season is worth losing such intriguing young talent. Berger's sources don't seem to find Boston quite so eager to make a deal, as he reports the Celtics are "weighing whether moving Garnett and Paul Pierce for youth would be worth the massive cultural shakeup."
Garnett has publicly been adamant that he won't waive his no-trade clause under any circumstances, but, according to Wojnarowski, "there's strong belief he would ultimately agree to it." Clippers guard Chauncey Billups remains one of Garnett's tight friends, and his Malibu home would seemingly make a trade to Los Angeles more amenable than anywhere else.
Persistent rumor No. 2: Paul Pierce to Atlanta for Josh Smith
If the Celtics trade Garnett, according to Wojnarowski, they would also move Pierce, possibly to the Atlanta Hawks for Paul Pierce.
If you're wondering why the Hawks would consider dealing the 27-year old Smith for Pierce, 35, so am I. If I were a general manager of a quasi-rebuilding team faced with losing a star to free agency, I would either A) let him walk, clearing his salary from the books, or B) look to move him for young pieces and draft picks. Never would I consider trading for someone like Pierce, who's still quite talented but also won't fit into any future plans.
Granted, just a small portion of Pierce's salary is guaranteed for next season. But none of Smith's salary is. I just don't see why the Hawks would want Pierce, when several other teams are reportedly lined up with packages likely to include younger players and (presumably) better draft picks.
But if the Celtics offered this...
Seemingly improbable rumor No. 1:
Rival GMs insist Rondo's available. Could they pry Josh away from ATL w/out giving up Pierce or KG? Jeff Green would be good fit in ATL
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) February 20, 2013
I've always thought that if the Celtics trade Rondo, it would be for someone obviously better than he is. The Chris Paul trade rumors a couple summers ago made sense because Ainge smelled blood and was hoping for an upgrade. The Dwight Howard discussions of a few weeks ago made sense because, well, he's still the best center in the NBA.
Trading Rondo (and his team-friendly contract) for Smith (who wants a max deal) wouldn't be an obvious upgrade, and probably not an upgrade at all, assuming Rondo returns healthy after surgery to repair a torn ACL.
A major shakeup only makes sense if Boston is looking toward the future. Keeping Pierce and Garnett while dealing Rondo for Smith wouldn't be doing that at all. It would be a sign the Celtics are looking to win now, which could very well prove short-sighted and misguided despite the optimism gained by eight wins in their last 10 games.