If the Boston Celtics were not rebuilding before, they are certainly are now. The team officially has no more members from the former championship roster after trading away Rajon Rondo on Thursday. The move was almost two years in the making. Boston started by trading Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets. Doc Rivers followed to the Los Angeles Clippers and now Rondo is in Dallas for the near future. As the team aims to acquire more expiring contracts and top draft picks, which star is next?
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Jeff Green is the next player available for dealing. However, the Celtics are not looking to trade the forward for anything less than a first-round draft pick. With Rondo officially out, the Celtics will likely take their time getting the right deal in place for Green, but several teams are taking interest now. NBA Reporter Jeff Zillgitt is reporting that the Los Angeles Clippers are showing a lot of interest in Green before the trade deadline.
Green would be a solid player for Los Angeles. He is an upgrade from Matt Barnes while being able to work alongside Chris Paul in the lineup. Right now, Green is playing some of his best basketball, averaging career-highs in points with 20.7 per game on 45 percent shooting. It is essentially all for nothing at the moment while Boston is struggling to get wins, only upping his value in a deal. The issue is that the Clippers do not have a first-round draft pick, removing them from the race.
If the Clippers really were set on attempting to get Green, they would have to be willing to part with key players. That would include someone like JJ Redick or DeAndre Jordan which Rivers might not be keen on doing. Could the Oklahoma City Thunder be intrigued by Green? The Thunder would love to get Green back with his ability to be part of a stretch four. However, Green would likely come at the expense of someone like Reggie Jackson. The Thunder have a first-round draft pick to give if they chose to go that option, but the Celtics would ideally like Jackson in the mix.
