The Boston Celtics look quite comfortable as the trade deadline approaches. They sit in the third seed in the Eastern Conference and they have a boatload of assets in the form of cheap contracts for very good players, talents on rookie scale contracts and draft picks as well as expiring veteran contracts to get a deal done.
The only reason for them to make a move now is to acquire a star player, preferably a big man. So far three of this kind of player have been rumored available, and the Celtics have been rumored to show interest in all three: Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Al Horford.
Clippers wouldn't trade Griffin
It might just have been due diligence, if Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge, as reported, asked the Los Angeles Clippers whether Blake Griffin was available. After all the Clippers GM/head coach Doc Rivers is an old friend of Boston; and according to several media outlets, Griffin was in fact available, even though Rivers denied it. We'll probably never know for sure, since the same reports that said that Ainge had been in contact with Rivers, also said that the answer was 'no'.
The latest rumor about a possible trade for Cleveland's Kevin Love was reported by CSN New England's A. Sherrod Blakely. According to the rumor, the Cleveland Cavaliers is interested in acquiring Ryan Anderson from the New Orleans Pelicans. And according to Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pelicans are shopping Anderson pretty hard, because they fear to lose him for nothing in free agency this summer.
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Cleveland is interested in Anderson because he can do most of what Love is asked to do but at a much cheaper price, which means that the Cavaliers might get another quality player for the roster by trading Love.
A Three-team trade makes sense
Meanwhile Kevin Love makes sense for the Celtics because he's a proven go-to-guy, who is underused in Cleveland, while he doesn't make as much sense for the Pelicans who already have a starting big man duo in Anthony Davis and Omer Asik.
The big questions for Boston are 1) how much the Celtics need to pay for Love and 2) is he really that great a fit, considering his defensive deficiencies that have been exploited by teams like the Golden State Warriors. The follow-up question to the last one is whether coach Brad Stevens has a way to fix this.
Danny Ainge is known for taking calculated risks, but he will rarely overpay just to get what he wants. On the other hand, the Pelicans might choose to trade Anderson to one of several other suitors, which would make the whole ordeal moot.
Report: Atlanta is undecided on Al Horford trade
Blakely also reported that Boston has emerged as a top landing spot for Al Horford in case the Atlanta Hawks decides that it's time to shake up the roster. Atlanta is still undecided, though, and while Horford looks like a great fit for Boston, his pending free agency this summer raises questions about both his trade value and whether you're willing to give him a big enough contract to keep him long term.
One big man, who reportedly is on the trade block but hasn't been connected with Boston at this point is Houston's Dwight Howard. That doesn't mean that the Celtics won't make a bid, but there are at least two reasons that make it unlikely: 1) Howard can anchor the defense, but might be a bad fit with coach Stevens' stretched out offense and 2) Howard has in the past put Boston pretty low on his list of preferred destinations, making it less likely that he excercises his player option for next season or re-signs as a free agent this summer.
Considering what's at stake, don't expect Boston to finalize anything until the 11th hour leading up to trade deadline. And don't be surprised, if Danny Ainge decides to stand pat.
