The NBA trade rumor mill is spinning hard, as the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics are considering a league altering deal that would send Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for DeAndre Jordan and draft picks, while also considering a sign and trade deal with Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin.
According to ESPN.com, the deal is in its early stages and still has some obstacles to clear, as the Celtics have asked for Eric Bledsoe in the deal and they have some compensation issues as well, as Rivers is still under contract with Boston. The reason the Clippers don't want to put Bledsoe in the deal is due to the fact that they want to hold onto him for a trade with the Lakers that would send Howard to the Clippers for Blake Griffin and Bledsoe. The Clippers are ready to send DeAndre Jordan and multiple picks, but Boston has to agree to the compensation.
The hangups could be the biggest issues in the deal and also adding to it is the fact that the Clippers are interested in hiring Lionel Hollins and that could complicate things with Rivers. The trade is not imminent, but would be a huge shift in the league and would help the Celtics rebuild faster, while the Lakers and Clippers would be happy to get superstars as they move into the next stages of their recent franchise histories. The Lakers need more talent as they probably will lose Howard in free agency and the sign and trade deal would allow Howard to get max money.
The trade also may be to help the Clippers keep Chris Paul, as he is a free agent on July 1 as well and there has been talk that Howard and Paul would like to play together, possibly in Atlanta. The Clippers also have been speaking about a trade of Eric Bledsoe to the Magic for Arron Afflalo, but that likely is off the table if this goes through. Garnett has said that he wants to play with Rivers and that is one reason why the Clippers trade talk has come up. The team wants to give Paul a championship team as well as no reason to go to any other team come free agency.
The head coaching job will be a big factor for Paul, but if the team can swing a deal, there likely would be no reason for Paul to leave. The Celtics are asking for a lot since Rivers is under contract and while the team would still welcome him back, this trade talk could change things. The Clippers like Hollins and even if the Celtics deal doesn't happen, the Lakers trade could still go down with Griffin and Howard. The Celtics are close to rebuilding and the reason Rivers may want the deal is to avoid being in that situation and he would like to go for it for one more year with Garnett and Pierce in Boston.
