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Celtics Notes: Green, Rondo, Lee, Bass

November 22nd, 2014 at 6:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Earlier in the month, Hoops Rumors’ own Chuck Myron broke down the Celtics’ offseason moves. While Boston added some nice pieces, no acquisition moved the needle in the win column as the team started the season with a 4-7 record. It hasn’t been all bad this season as the team owns the fourth best offense in the league, scoring 106.2 points per game.

Here’s more from Boston:

Jeff Green‘s frustration with the Celtics’ losing is at an all-time high, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. “I’m tired of losing,” Green said. “[Friday] we let them get whatever they wanted, so we deserved to lose.” The forward can opt out of his current deal at season’s end and become a free agent. Blakely adds that the market for Green is as strong “if not stronger” than it is for fellow teammate Rajon Rondo, according to talks with a league executive. Green is averaging 18.4 points per game and is sporting a player efficiency rating of 16.5.
Courtney Lee liked playing for the Celtics but understood why he was traded to the Grizzlies, writes Blakely in a separate piece. “I enjoyed my time in Boston,” Lee said. “The organization, my teammates, coaching staff; everybody was top-notch. It just didn’t work.” Lee signed in Boston while the team had title aspirations but a year later, the Celtics traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets to begin their rebuilding efforts. Lee, who most would describe as a complementary player, is thriving as a catch-and-shoot wing in the Grizzlies offense. “Just square up, lick my fingers and knock down shots,” Lee said. “It works for me.”
Brandon Bass is still familiarizing himself with his new role of coming off the bench for the Celtics, writes Blakely in another piece. “I’m adjusting,” Bass told Comcast SportsNet’s Abby Chin. “I’ve been a starter and I’ve come off the bench in the past … I’m adjusting.” Although he would love to start, he understands the importance of making a positive impact when he gets in the game. “It’s important for the guys off the bench to lift the starters each and every night; try to contribute in a major way each and every night,” Bass said. The power forward has begun the season on a positive note, averaging 8.4 PPG and with a player efficiency rating of 16.35.

Lowe’s Latest: Rondo, Green, Horford, Sixers

October 14th, 2014 at 11:05am CST by Chuck Myron

Grantland’s Zach Lowe includes a few eye-openers among his annual preseason predictions, including his assertion that the Suns will again miss out on the playoffs. As usual, Lowe’s must-read column isn’t all conjecture, and he shares a few whispers he’s heard from around the league. We’ll pass along the news items here:

The Celtics have set a remarkably high price for Rajon Rondo as they’ve gauged the trade market for him over the past year, but Boston is also putting out trade feelers about Jeff Green, Lowe writes. People around the league are higher on Green than the forward’s public reputation would suggest, according to Lowe, who adds the Pelicans to the list of teams that have shown interest in Green in the past. It’s unclear if New Orleans still has eyes for Green, however.
The Hawks brought up Al Horford‘s name in trade talk with a few teams last year, seeking an unprotected 2014 first-rounder in return, sources tell Lowe.
Michael Carter-Williams found his name in trade rumors around the draft, and the Sixers indeed made a hard push to find a deal, Lowe hears. The Grantland scribe cautions that the team isn’t necessarily dead set on trading him, writing that the Sixers understand there are plenty of quality point guards to go around and that Philadelphia prioritizes deal that would help the team land more high draft picks.
It would catch no one in the league offices by surprise if Mikhail Prokhorov eventually decides to give up control of the Nets, according to Lowe.
The Cavs have shown reluctance to surrender the 2015 first-round pick that the Grizzlies owe them, Lowe writes. It’s the only first-rounder other than their own that the Cavs possess.

Kevin Love Rumors: Friday

June 20th, 2014 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The draft is less than a week away, and while the event itself will be a game-changer for many teams, there’s a decent chance that the most noteworthy move Thursday night will involve six-year veteran Kevin Love. Here’s the latest as trade talk around the Wolves star grows ever louder:

The Warriors have pulled into the lead in the race for Love, sources tell Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe, though no deal is imminent, and the Wolves are in no hurry to make a trade, Holmes also hears.
The Wolves have interest in Harrison Barnes as they discuss various scenarios with the Warriors, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
The Celtics have so far offered a package of Kelly Olynyk, picks Nos. 6 and 17 in this year’s draft, and a future first-round pick, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Boston is willing to discuss different combinations as it seeks to satisfy the demands of the Wolves, but so far Minnesota hasn’t engaged in “true back-and-forth negotiation” with the Celtics, Bulpett writes.
If the Celtics can’t land Love, they’ll likely shift gears into a longer rebuilding that would eventually see them trade Rajon Rondo, Bulpett says in the same piece. A source tells Bulpett that an opposing team is ready to trade for Jeff Green if the Celtics are willing to let him go.
Still, in an appearance Thursday on ESPN, Rondo, who like Love can become a free agent next year, said he wouldn’t be upset if the Celtics didn’t end up with the Minnesota power forward, as Holmes notes in his piece. “No. I can’t go to sleep every night wanting to try to play with Kevin Love,” Rondo said. “Right now I’ve got to go with what we have now in our locker room and coach [Brad] Stevens, so that’s what I’m focused on now.”
The Bulls remain more zeroed in on Carmelo Anthony than Love, Stein writes in his piece, and the same goes for Houston, as Stein examines in a separate article. The Rockets are also readying a pitch to LeBron James should he be willing to listen, Stein adds.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Boozer, Del Negro

May 23rd, 2014 at 10:38pm CST by Cray Allred

Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes that the Celtics may be better off enduring another year of rebuilding instead of turning in their best assets for a blockbuster acquisition like Kevin Love. Here’s the rest of the night’s notes from Boston and the rest of the Eastern Conference:

NBA GMs see Rajon Rondo among the league’s best when he has his A game, but they’re concerned about his personality and consistency, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, who examines the leaguewide perception of the players on the Celtics roster. One GM is wary of trading for Jeff Green, believing agent David Falk will convince him to opt out if he has a productive season, and the Celtics and other teams noticed the dedication Brandon Bass showed in an otherwise lost season for Boston, Bulpett hears.
The Bulls coaching staff told Taj Gibson to prepare to become a starter next season, sources indicated to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests it’s further evidence that Carlos Boozer has played his last game for the team.
The Cavs will soon schedule head coaching interviews with Alvin Gentry, Adrian Griffin, Vinny Del Negro, and other candidates, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Gentry and Griffin were known to be strong candidates, but this is the first report verifying Del Negro’s candidacy.
New Bucks owners Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens are taking the reigns in Milwaukee following the draft lottery, telling Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel they will soon start meeting with front office and coaching personnel, whose future with the team is still up in the air. “I think right now we just want to spend time with everybody,” Lasry said. “Then we’ll have more of an understanding.” Head coach Larry Drew and GM John Hammond both have multiple years left on their contracts, but haven’t been assured of staying with the team.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Bulpett’s Latest: Ainge, Rondo, Green, Trades

May 16th, 2014 at 9:15am CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears the Celtics are seemingly more open to trading Rajon Rondo than ever, though Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has batted down similar rumors for several months. Ainge once more went on the offensive against the chatter surrounding the star point guard, as Bulpett observes.

“That’s all speculation,” Ainge said. “Those aren’t facts. People don’t know that, so it’s just people speculating on Rondo’s free agency next summer. That’s all that you’re hearing. You’re not hearing any facts from anybody. Those conversations haven’t even been discussed, so that’s just speculation.”

Bulpett has more from Ainge and other Celtics news in his must-read piece, and we’ll sum up the highlights here:

Ainge believes he must make significant trades to surround Rondo with talent to convince him to stay when his contract expires after next season. Still, Ainge nonetheless thinks that as long as Rondo sees the Celtics gathering momentum toward a revival, that will be enough, Bulpett writes. “We love Rondo, and Rondo loves us,” Ainge told Bulpett. “We don’t feel like there’s pressure that we have to do something or there’s some sort of deadline that something has to get done by. You know, sure Rondo has to see progress and Rondo has to believe that we’re going to be contenders and be in the picture and have something. But that’s an ongoing thing. I mean, we feel that way with everybody.”
Several teams are waiting to see where the Celtics end up in the lottery before talking trade with Ainge and his staff, according to Bulpett. Boston is projected to wind up with the fifth overall pick.
The Wizards have held an interest in Jeff Green in recent years, Grantland’s Zach Lowe noted this week, but Bulpett hears that Green holds no current appeal to Washington, given the two years and $18.4MM remaining on his deal.

Wizards Interested In Re-Signing Trevor Ariza

May 13th, 2014 at 2:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards have made it clear for the past several months that they intend to pursue a long-term deal with soon-to-be free agent Marcin Gortat, but the team is also interested in re-signing Trevor Ariza, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe. Most league executives expect both to ink new contracts with Washington this summer, Lowe reports. Those execs from around the NBA believe that Ariza and Gortat will make $15-20MM combined in annual salary on deals that cover three or four years.

Ariza has expressed a desire to re-sign with the Wizards, though he prefaced that by telling Michael Lee of The Washington Post that he’ll go “wherever I’m wanted.” The Wizards and Cavs spoke about Ariza in trade talks involving Luol Deng at the deadline, but the team had little luck as it sought to unload Ariza’s expiring contract. It appears that Ariza has grown on Washington since then, though the Wizards probably hope his market value drops between now and July, when rival suitors can make offers, Lowe writes. That’s a possibility if other teams are wary of how he’d play for them when he’s not in a contract year and doesn’t have John Wall to set him up with corner three-pointers, Lowe suggests.

The Wizards are at a fork that presents a number of routes toward a shot at a title, as Lowe examines, noting the team’s long-held fondness for Jeff Green as a possible trade target. Washington has about $43.5MM in commitments for next season, and while new deals for Gortat and Ariza would erase the team’s cap flexibility, the Wizards would still have a chance to use the non-taxpayer’s mid-level, Lowe notes. Largely staying the course and bringing back the starting five from this year’s team is seemingly GM Ernie Grunfeld‘s preferred course for now amid rampant mediocrity in the Eastern Conference, but there will be opportunities to pivot, as Lowe points out.

Atlantic Notes: Green, Lowry, Knicks, ‘Melo

April 23rd, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The lone Atlantic Division representatives in the playoffs are duking it out in what’s become a compelling series, with the Raptors saving themselves from an 0-2 hole in Tuesday’s night’s victory against the Nets. While we wait for Friday’s Game 3, here’s the latest from around the Atlantic:

No one on the Celtics is guaranteed to return next season, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, who takes stock of each player’s chances of coming back. Jeff Green is “eminently available” for a trade, according to Murphy.
Kyle Lowry will surely have plenty of offers to leave the Raptors in free agency this summer, but he’s enjoying Toronto’s revival this season, telling reporters, including Fred Kerber of the New York Post, “I love my team and I’ll tell anybody that.” (Twitter link).
Phil Jackson is surprised that so many have expressed interest in the Knicks head coaching job even though he wants to institute the triangle, as he said today to reporters, including Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link).
Jackson appears comfortable with the idea of watching Carmelo Anthony leave this summer, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv believes, judging by the Zen Master’s willingness to make Anthony follow through on his idea of playing for less than the max.
Connecticut point guard and Massachusetts native Shabazz Napier spoke about his dreams of playing for the Celtics, but it’s unlikely that the Celtics will be in position to draft him in June, observes Brian Robb of Boston.com.

Forsberg’s Latest: Fredette, Asik, Green

February 25th, 2014 at 8:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Some Celtics fans may have been upset with their team’s the lack of activity around the trade deadline, but Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston opines that acquiring Jimmer Fredette (if he reaches a buyout agreement in Sacramento) would be the perfect mea culpa, especially with the city’s ‘love’ of reclamation projects. All in all, Forsberg suggests that Fredette would be better suited to join a contender at this point, where he’d have an opportunity to jump-start his career in an offense-focused role and the expectations would be minimal.

Here’s more out of his latest Celtics mailbag:

Forsberg wonders if the team would revisit efforts to acquire Omer Asik from the Rockets this summer, when they’ll have a $10.3MM trade exception as well as plenty of draft picks to offer.
As with many players on the roster, Jeff Green‘s future in Boston could be tied in part to the draft and whether the Celtics end up drafting a player at his position.
There’s always the chance that Kelly Olynyk becomes trade fodder, but Forsberg believes the more cap-effective route would be to nurture the young center and hope his game continues to evolve.
When asked who he thinks will definitely return next year, Forsberg says that with so much hinging on the Celtics’ draft position and who they add on draft night, it’s difficult to say with any certainty. The exceptions are head coach Brad Stevens and – unless they can find a taker by giving up some assets – Gerald Wallace.
Colton Iverson’s NBA future depends on how crowded Boston’s roster is and his development. The team currently owns his rights and has kept tabs on him overseas, and Forsberg notes that the 7’0 center can rejoin the team for summer league with a chance to compete for an official roster spot.
As for the lack of trades around the deadline, Forsberg says the team put a high price on their talent, and as evidenced with the lack of activity around the league, few teams were willing to give up draft picks to acquire players.

Mannix’s Latest: Celtics, Pelicans, Afflalo

February 19th, 2014 at 9:42am CST by Chuck Myron

Every Celtics player, including Rajon Rondo, is available for the right price, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports in a pair of tweets. Still, some rival executives believe Boston is overvaluing Brandon Bass and Jeff Green, for whom Danny Ainge is demanding first-round picks, as Mannix writes in a full piece. Mannix also notes that the Celtics would prefer to keep Kris Humphries through the deadline. There’s plenty more in Mannix’s dispatch covering several of the league’s most active teams in advance of Thursday’s deadline, so let’s dive in:

The Pelicans are making a strong effort to trade either Eric Gordon or Tyreke Evans, Mannix hears, contradicting what coach Monty Williams told reporters earlier this week.
Mannix adds Arron Afflalo to the list of players the Bobcats are eyeing. Charlotte is apparently willing to absorb a player-friendly contract as part of a deal that brings in an impact player, Mannix writes.
The Pistons like Evan Turner, and they may be willing to offer the Sixers the first-round draft pick they’re looking for, according to Mannix. Still, it will take “an overwhelming offer” to pry Greg Monroe from Detroit, which would like to trade Josh Smith instead but is finding no takers.
Andre Miller is “gone one way or another,” but that may be the only trade Denver makes, in spite of a heavy volume of calls coming in from other teams, Mannix writes. The Nuggets don’t appear inclined to auction off Kenneth Faried, according to Mannix. His report contrasts with what teams are telling Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who hears that anyone outside of Ty Lawson is available (Twitter link).
Rival teams are interested in Bojan Bogdanovic, but the Nets are unwilling to trade the rights to the former second-round pick who’s playing in Turkey.
Kirk Hinrich has been drawing more interest than Mike Dunleavy, but executives around the league believe the Bulls probably won’t deal Hinrich and risk deepening the divide between Tom Thibodeau and the front office. Dunleavy is similarly off the table.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has been “determined” to find another star to go along with Kyrie Irving, but the league appears to have lukewarm feelings about the young players on the Cavs, according to Mannix, which would appear to make a blockbuster unlikely.
There’s been friction between Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala, Mannix hears, but rival executives nonetheless believe it will take a massive offer to acquire Barnes, Mannix notes, echoing what Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob has said.

Ford’s Latest: Magic, Cavs, Bobcats

February 18th, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Victor Oladipo may be the only Magic player unavailable for a trade, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who adds that the team is looking for multiple first-round picks or young players for Arron Afflalo. Ford believes Orlando will indeed find a taker for Afflalo, but that’s in contrast to a report from Sam Amick of USA Today indicating the Magic aren’t that eager to trade him and aren’t hearing from any team with strong interest (Twitter link). The Magic’s price is much lower for Glen Davis and Jameer Nelson, Ford writes, and while Amick tweets that the Magic is focusing most of its trade attention on those two, Orlando hasn’t gotten anywhere with either of them yet, Amick says.

Ford has much more in his latest Insider-only piece, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

The Cavs and Bobcats appear to be the only teams capable of trading away a 2014 lottery pick that would actually do so, according to Ford. If the Cavs are determined to make a playoff push, they’ll offer Dion Waiters and their 2014 first-round pick in search of veteran help, Ford writes.
There’s nothing major happening on the Ersan Ilyasova front, Ford hears, naming Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour as the Bucks most likely to be traded. Milwaukee is reluctant to let go of Caron Butler, who’s a native of nearby Racine, Ford adds.
The Sixers want “significantly” more than just a first-round pick for Thaddeus Young, which has been dissuading some teams from trading for him, Ford writes.
Jeff Green and Brandon Bass are the names that come up most frequently in trade discussions involving the Celtics, according to Ford.
Several GMs tell Ford that the Lakers appear willing to discuss any player on their roster short of Kobe Bryant.
Everyone outside of DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas is available from the Kings, with Marcus Thornton, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry and Jimmer Fredette the primary bait, Ford writes.
It’s unlikely the Jazz trade Gordon Hayward, Ford says, naming Marvin Williams as the team’s most likely trade candidate.
Teams are looking to acquire a package of both Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey, but the Pistons remain unwilling to deal Monroe, as multiple GMs tell Ford.