After going back and forth on trade talks with the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Clippers have ended any discussions to get Kevin Garnett. The two teams had originally planned to send DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe to Boston in return for Garnett. However, league sources told Yahoo! Sports the Clippers have decided to cut off the trade unless Chris Paul pushes the issue with team management.
Garnett recently said he would not waive the no-trade clause in his contract, making the original idea of him going to L.A. seem very difficult in the first place. Boston would only consider moving Garnett to the Clippers for that exact trade package. If the Clippers decide to enter back into the trade talks, they would have to still offer Bledsoe and Jordan. Boston had yet to approach Garnett about the possibility of waiving the clause without a trade agreement already in place. Sources believe that Garnett would ultimately agree to any trade brought up by the team.
The Celtics are doing everything they can to try and add to their core team in order to make a playoff run this season. They might have to disassemble some of the team's aging veterans in order to start a small rebuilding process with younger players. If Garnett goes, sources said Paul Pierce would have to go as well. The Celtics could involve a third team in order to still get Bledsoe and Jordan from the Clippers. Sending Pierce to Atlanta and involving Josh Smith in the trade could be the best way for everyone to get a quality player.
Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro was a fan of the Garnett trade. However, Paul believes the team is set up for a strong end to the season with or without Garnett. The Clippers are basically letting Paul make the decisions for who the team should attempt to get prior to the trade deadline. As long as Paul continues to plan on signing a long-term contract with the team in the offseason, he will have leverage with the decisions being made.
