Although the Celtics ended up standing pat at last month's trade deadline, the team was close to making one or two blockbuster moves and breaking up its Big Three, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
According to Wojnarowski, Ray Allen received a phone call from Celtics coach Doc Rivers, telling him he'd been traded to the Grizzlies for a package that included O.J. Mayo and a draft pick. However, shortly after the call, Allen received word that the deal had fallen apart.
The Celtics also had serious discussions with the Nets about a deal that would've sent Paul Pierce to New Jersey in exchange for Mehmet Okur and a lottery pick, says Wojnarowski. Grantland's Bill Simmons wrote of those talks last week, noting that the Nets eventually elected to acquire Gerald Wallace from Portland for a similar package (one which also included Shawne Williams).
While the Celtics have played their best basketball of the season since the deadline and are a popular choice to upset the Bulls or Heat in the Eastern playoffs, the team's failed trades are interesting to consider. Had they made those deals, Boston would be heading into the summer armed with three first-round picks and even more cap flexibility, without Pierce on next year's books. We'll see if the Celtics' Big Three has one more run left to reward GM Danny Ainge's deadline decision to stand pat.
Wow. Two tough trades to pass up in my opinion
Honestly, if the Celtics keep up their level of play they have a good chance to win it all. Rondo is being more aggressive than ever and it’s obvious how that’s translating. I have to say though, those two deals would have set them up huge for the future. A potential number 4 pick in this years draft and 52M coming off the books, along with adding OJ Mayo could have led to an incredibly fast rebuilding process. Now, I’m not knocking them for not doing it, especially Pierce. I wouldn’t even like to imagine him not a Celtic, but overall I think the front office made the right call.
I am a Laker fan, so I would have loved the Celtics to have made these moves. They would have to overpay to keep Mayo at the end of the year…plus a team like the Celtics with Rondo and Mayo as your stars…probably not a good core.