The Boston Celtics may have new interest in a Rajon Rondo trade from the Houston Rockets this offseason and that comes as the Celtics themselves could be looking at a deal for Kevin Love with the Warriors, as Danny Ainge has kept channels open and there is a chance he will try and trade for the Timberwolves star and names like Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley could be targets in a deal according to Marc Stein at ESPN.
Stein writes that the Houston Rockets may be looking at trades with Rondo or Love, as the team missed out on Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony in free agency and also allowed Chandler Parsons to leave. According to ESPN.com, the Rockets want to make a move now that they have lost out on those players and Rondo could be the target. Stein writes that Rondo has long been a target for Daryl Morey and now that Jeremy Lin is gone, it could be time for a deal.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Celtics still are looking at the possibility of trading for Kevin Love. PBT writes that Danny Ainge may look at a combination of Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk or Avery Bradley to make a deal, as he also has first round picks to move. The Warriors and Cavilers have been the recent teams in on Kevin Love and the Celtics may not have as much as them to deal. The Wolves have asked for Klay Thompson or Andrew Wiggins in those deals and that means the asking price is high.
Rondo is coming into the season after recovering from a serious injury and while the Celtics want to keep him long term, his name will continue to pop up in trade rumors until he gets a contract signed and delivered. According to Pro Basketball Talk and ESPN.com, the Celtics, while they are not the favorites, have continued to look at the possibility of trading for Kevin Love, as the team has enough young players and draft picks in the first round in the future to potentially make the Timberwolves think about trading their star.
The Celtics are coming into the season after drafting Marcus Smart and that could be one reason why the team could deal Rondo, but it's more likely that Ainge keeps him. The Rockets were interested last season but did not want to give up Chandler Parsons. The Celtics did not want to take Omer Asik without Parsons and that basically ended the talks, but now with what has happened in free agency, Daryl Morey may want a do-over.
The Wolves have been patient and they do not appear willing to just give up Love, as they have demanded Klay Thompson from the Warriors and Andrew Wiggins from the Cavaliers in potential deals. The Celtics have a nice core of young talent and Ainge has shown he is a smart dealer, as he snagged another first round pick in the trade with the Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics came off very good in that deal and they barely had to give up anything and now they have another piece they can move in the future as well.
