While the Celtics are still being aggressive in trade discussions, most of the bigger-name targets – such as DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, and Gordon Hayward – aren’t really available at this point, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. As Kyler details, Boston could probably land a veteran player like Greg Monroe or Rudy Gay, but GM Danny Ainge may prefer to keep his trade chips in the hopes of making a bigger deal down the road.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- With Dwyane Wade gone, the Heat will be seeking someone to fill the role of “franchise player” in Miami. In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel explores whether or not Justise Winslow has that sort of upside.
- In a podcast this week, Chris Mannix of The Vertical spoke to Hawks GM Wes Wilcox about the decision to sign Dwight Howard, trading Jeff Teague, and the decision to retool Atlanta’s roster rather than rebuild.
- Aron Baynes is a popular subject of discussion in Keith Langlois’ latest mailbag at Pistons.com. Langlois also discusses the Pistons‘ signing of Boban Marjanovic, whether the club should have gone after Jarrett Jack, and several other topics.
- Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com looks at LeBron James‘ recent history of signing one-year contracts with the Cavaliers, examining the impact the trend has had on other players and teams around the NBA.