There have been trade rumors swirling around the Boston Celtics since prior to the NBA Draft.
One reason is because the Celtics were in possession of several draft picks that could help another NBA team looking to build through drafting young players.
There were several league sources and general managers who spoke with the Boston Herald during the summer league games, without giving their identities to give their take on the Celtics' plans in specific parts.
One rival general manager all but confirmed that there is indeed some chatter on NBA lines about a trade.
Oh, Danny (Ainge) definitely wants to do something. We’ve got nothing that really works with Boston, but I bet something happens there.
One of the Celtics most valuable assets in a trade is an unprotected first round pick they received from trading Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and it comes into effect in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Celtics would be willing to trade the pick, but only in the right situation.
Another sticking point in that and in other deals Boston is talking about is that pick from the Nets next year. Danny will make it available in the right situation, but he’s not going to give it up with core players, too. That’s going to be a good draft, and that’s going to be a high pick.
There were rumors that surfaced wherein a high-profile player was on the Celtics' radar, and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin was a specific name on the short list. However, that report was quickly refuted in another, and the rumors died down quickly afterwards.
The problem is the Clippers would require a high amount of compensation, because they are in win-now mode, and since Griffin is an All Star player who also comes with a concerning injury history, teams may be hesitant to give too much for him. One executive provided his take on that particular point.
I still think there’s a concern with his leg. We looked into him, and we’re hearing that’s a pretty serious thing. I’m not saying you don’t go after him, but you’d better be really sure about that leg before you go making any big commitments.
Griffin suffered a partially torn left quad tendon that caused him to miss time during the regular season, and eventually miss the remainder of the playoffs after getting hurt again in the middle of the first round before the Clippers were eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers.
He reportedly received a bone marrow injection, and the concern is whether he is healing properly or if he will be continually prone to re-injury.
In the event the Celtics could pull off a trade to acquire Griffin, there is the business of absorbing his salary. He will make $20,140,839 in 2016 and $21,373,952 in 2017, but has an opt out clause next summer. To give up assets for Griffin would require a commitment to re-sign or sign an extension.
Even with all of the trades and signings this summer,the work of building rosters is far from over.
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