The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are tied 1-1 in the NBA Finals and as the championship is decided, the entire league could be shifting with potential offseason trade deals, as the Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly trying to acquire head coach Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in a blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics.
According to ESPN.com, sources said the team is contemplating two drastic deals, the Boston one for Rivers that would have to include DeAndre Jordan as well as draft picks, while sources also reported that the team is considering another deal for the summer, involving the Lakers, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard. The report says that the Clippers are considering making the Boston deal without involving guard Eric Bledsoe, then using him in a deal with Blake Griffin to acquire Dwight Howard in a sign and trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The moves would cause a huge shift in the NBA and would help rebuild a number of teams, including rivals in the Celtics and the Lakers. Many sides would benefit, as the Celtics would get younger much quicker and rebuild by using their aging veterans, while the Clippers and Lakers would be swapping superstars, giving each team something that it wants. Chris Paul is still in the future for the Clippers and the acquisition of Howard may be a way to pair the two together, as they reportedly are talking about becoming teammates in free agency. The Howard deal could not be completed until he is a free agent on July 1, while the Celtics deal would bring a whole new look to the franchise after getting rid of coach Vinny Del Negro.
The Clippers are reportedly not planning on putting Bledsoe in the deal no matter what, as they want to ensure themselves the chance of making the deal for Howard and the Lakers. The Clippers have been talking about a deal involving Bledsoe with the Magic for Arron Afflalo, but that will likely be off if the team goes forward with the other moves. The Clippers may be trying to put themselves in the best position to keep Paul despite using Griffin, although they would have Howard to replace him. Both LA teams were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round and the Lakers would put themselves in a good position as they know right now they already may lose Howard in free agency.
The Celtics and Clippers have started talks and there are many complications, as Rivers is still under contract and the two teams may disagree on compensation. The team is dealing with a coaching change and they like Lionel Hollins, but he may not wait as the teams try to do the deal. The team may want to hire Hollins and also do the Celtics deal, but minur Rivers. Either way, the Clippers still could pull off the trade with the Lakers and Howard down the line, but that may depend on what the Celtics and LA decide on for a trade first before the free agent period begins.