After ACL surgery ended Rajon Rondo's season, Celtics president Danny Ainge insisted that he wanted to see how his team responded before deciding what sort of roster moves to consider. The Celtics have been on a tear since then, but Jared Sullinger and Leandro Barbosa have also seen their seasons end prematurely due to injuries, leaving the team with a dearth of healthy bodies. While we wait to see wait Ainge and the C's have up their sleeves before Thursday, here are the latest rumblings from out of Boston:

• Marc Stein of ESPN.com isn't convinced that Kevin Garnett could be persuaded to waive his no-trade clause, even if it meant joining a team like the Clippers. According to Stein, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reported last night on SportsCenter that Chauncey Billups believes his friend's position on not waiving his no-trade clause is firm.
• Even if Garnett were to agree to a deal, the Clippers aren't willing to include both Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan in their proposal, according to Stein. The ESPN.com scribe cautions that it could be posturing on the Clippers' part, but one source says the Clippers feel like that's too much to give up for a 36-year-old who may not play much longer.
• Outside of weighing possible deals involving Garnett and Paul Pierce, the Celtics have also explored possibilities that include Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, Fab Melo, and Avery Bradley, but have only received lukewarm interest, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. I imagine plenty of teams would like to get their hands on Bradley, but perhaps the Celtics' asking price is exorbitant.
• One opposing executive on the Celtics, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "[They] are one of the more active teams out there talking, but they really don’t have a lot of great options. They don’t have a lot to trade."
• Bulpett reports that the Clippers have yet to make a formal offer for Garnett. He also adds that Ainge doesn't feel any pressure to do anything more drastic than to add a player or two. "I love how hard our guys play and compete," Ainge said. "They do need some support with some extra bodies for the rest of the year. I definitely need to do that, to add some players to our roster. But that’s all that we need to do."

The Celtics have been, by far, the most active team in trade rumors since yesterday evening, with news of talks about sending Kevin Garnett to the Clippers coming on the heels of the Rajon Rondo/Dwight Howard rumor. In the meantime, Garnett has said he's not waiving his no-trade clause, telling reporters he wants to "live and die green." Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has strongly denied any Rondo/Howard discussion. Still, it appears it will be quite a ride for Boston fans between now and Thursday's trade deadline. Here's the latest:

• Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times reported earlier that the Celtics are offering Jeff Green and Brandon Bass in a deal to acquire Josh Smith, but A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets that the C's don't have a lot of interest in a two-for-one deal like that, since injuries have left them shorthanded.
• Likewise, Boston would probably have to give up more players than it gets in a deal with the Lakers involving Rondo and Howard, as Blakely points out. The CSNNE.com scribe hears the Celtics and Lakers have had discussions with each other, but not about a Rondo/Howard deal.
• With regard to a Rondo-for-Howard swap, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets that "something's going on there," adding that all he knows for sure is that the Celtics are trying everything right now. Had Garnett consented to a trade, the Celtics would have "aggressively" pursued a deal to send Paul Pierce away, too, Amico writes.

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times has some updates in his latest notebook column on where the Milwaukee Bucks stand in several trade discussions leading up to Thursday's deadline:

• The Bucks are considering making an offer to the Hawks for Josh Smith, writes Woelfel. Smith has been most openly courted by the Nets and Celtics, with Brooklyn reportledly offering MarShon Brooks and Kris Humphries and Boston offering Jeff Green and Brandon Bass. However, Woelfel believes that the Bucks' package could be equally attractive if they include Monta Ellis or Brandon Jennings. They could also make Ersan Ilyasova available in a package for Smith.
• Woelfel writes that the Bucks are open to trading anyone on their roster and no one is off limits, although Ellis and Samuel Dalembert are the two players GM John Hammond would most like to move. Woelfel points to Beno Udrih and Mike Dunleavy as two other potentially attractive assets with expiring contracts.
• Woelfel contradicts a previous report by ESPN on the status of Jennings, writing that the Bucks never made him a formal offer of a contract extension before the October deadline. Jennings is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer.
• Forward Drew Gooden is no stranger to the trade deadline, Woelfel writes. The 11-year veteran has been traded five times during the season in his career.

In 2011/12, the Celtics were up and down over those first two months, compiling a 16-17 record in the first half of the lockout-shortened schedule. For the rest of the season, Boston went 23-10, locking up another Atlantic Division title. A year later, the Celtics are approaching the midway point with a mediocre 20-20 record, but if their track record is any indication, it's not time to panic yet. Here's the latest out of Boston:

• While the Celtics are always aggressive about pursuing possible deals, it's not likely they consider moving Paul Pierce unless they get an All-Star-caliber player in return, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
• When discussing trades with the C's, most teams are looking at guys like Jeff Green, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Bass, according to Kyler. However, none of those players is an attractive enough trade chip to bring back a significant return.
• Celtics president Danny Ainge tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that he's not expecting to make a big splash before the deadline: "Realistically, I don’t see major changes coming. Of course we’re trying to get better, and any deal that was available that could help us, you obviously do that. But we’re not just trying to make any deal. We’re not selling the team off or anything like that. We’re trying to win with what we have right now. That’s got to be our first objective."

10:35pm: Sam Amick of USA Today says that "Cousins is not going to the Celtics" and that teams who have been asking about his availability continue to being rebuffed (Twitter link). 

7:08pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) says that while nothing is imminent, Boston is one team to keep an eye on around the trade deadline. 

6:51pm: Blakely writes that although it's unlikely that Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, or Paul Pierce will be moved, there has been "growing" interest in Courtney Lee, who may be expendable with the return of Avery Bradley to the Celtics' lineup. Blakely also mentions forward Brandon Bass as another player who could possibly be on the move. 

6:45pm: A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets that the decision to waive Joseph and Varnardo may have opened the door to what could be a blockbuster deal, according to a league source. One name that has repeatedly been mentioned in speculative trade talk has been Kings' center DeMarcus Cousins (Twitter link). 

5:10pm: While rounding up today's list of waived players, ESPN's Marc Stein also tweeted that forward Kris Joseph and center Jarvis Varnado had both been waived by the Celtics today. 

The 6'7 Joseph had been selected by Boston as the 51st pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, appearing in six games this season and averaging 1.2 PPG in 4.0 MPG. Varnado had only played in five games, averaging 1.2 PPG in 3.6 MPG. 

With the roster now at 13, ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg speculates that the Celtics could target a veteran big man and a backup ball-handling guard to fill the two newly created roster spots. Forsberg also mentions that those potential moves could depend on the big man's asking price. 

• In this video, Jason Terry talked about his impressions of the Celtics while he was a member of the Mavericks, the role Doc Rivers played in his decision to sign with the team, and gave a scouting report of himself. 
• Team legend and color analyst Tommy Heinsohn answered a fan's question the team's struggles to start the season and implied that the team needs time to develop chemistry with all the new players they've added over the summer. When asked about Leandro Barbosa, he called the Brazilian guard to a spot-player who can either shoot the team in or out of a game and thus might not be right for a role with big minutes at this point. 
• Heinsohn agreed with the idea that Chris Wilcox could be a key role player as Kevin Garnett's primary backup because of his defensive awareness, while he believes rookie Jared Sullinger is still too inexperienced to be the better option. 
• This staff report asks if Sullinger getting the start over Brandon Bass is a good move. Celtics broadcast analyst Donny Marshall doesn't think so, saying that it sends mixed messages to the veteran forward. 

JULY 14, 1:05pm: The signing is now official, according to the team.

JULY 5, 7:38pm: Bass' deal with the Celtics is worth $20MM, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.

2:59pm: Brandon Bass will be returning to Boston, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports that Bass and the Celtics have agreed to a three-year contract. Bass had opted out of the final year of his previous contract last month in search of a multiyear deal.

When the Celtics kicked off the offseason by agreeing to re-sign Kevin Garnett and committing their mid-level exception to Jason Terry, it became clear that the team didn't intend to renounce its free agents and make use of its cap space this summer. As such, re-signing their own free agents makes the most sense for the Celtics, so Bass' return is no surprise. The C's are also said to be closing in on a deal with Jeff Green.

Bass, 27, averaged 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per game for the Celtics in 2011/12. He reportedly drew interest from the Pacers, Nets, Mavericks, Heat, Knicks, and Hawks this week.

It's been another whirlwind day of player movement in the NBA, as the Hawks agreed to two significant trades, sending Joe Johnson to the Nets and Marvin Williams to the Jazz. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld speculated that Josh Smith may be the next Hawk to go (Twitter link), but Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report that Smith is excited about the moves, which would free up plenty of cap space for next summer, when Atlanta could go after Smith and other major targets. Here's news from elsewhere around the busy Association.

• Deron Williams will likely decide between the Nets and Mavericks in the next 24 to 48 hours after meeting with both of those teams today, tweets Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Nets are confident Williams will stay, and wouldn't have been so aggressive in their pursuit of Joe Johnson if Williams wasn't on board with them bringing the Hawks star on board, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). 
• The Lakers would have the inside track to sign Jose Calderon if the Raptors use the amnesty clause on him, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, with the Heat and Spurs in the mix along with whichever team trade candidate Luis Scola winds up on. 
• The Celtics may be able to get Jason Terry for the $5MM mid-level exception, but they're not currently in the hunt for O.J. Mayo, who's seeking a higher annual salary, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Murphy adds that six other teams are talking to Brandon Bass.
• Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com outlines how the Nets could team Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard.  
• Agent Greg Lawrence says the Blazers are interested in unrestricted free agent Spencer Hawes, but the interest may be "more perfunctory than serious," according to Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter links). 
• Jrue Holiday was added to the U.S. Olympic select team as Jeremy Lin and Greg Stiemsma dropped out, tweets USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt.

As the first day of free agency continues, reports continue to pour in on teams reaching out to certain players, perhaps to schedule meetings or make contract offers. We've rounded up plenty of those items already today, but we'll use this space to follow a few more updates, as they come in....

• Jason Terry is drawing interest from the Celtics, Suns, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Clippers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
• Expect the Heat, Celtics, Lakers, Hawks, and Knicks to have interest in Rashard Lewis when he clears waivers, tweets Spears.
• Brandon Bass is interested in re-signing with the Celtics. However, the Pacers, Nets, Mavericks, Heat, Knicks, and Hawks are also intrigued, says Spears (via Twitter). The last three teams would likely need a sign-and-trade deal to have a chance at Bass.
• The Hornets have expressed interest in Nick Young, tweets John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
• The Thunder may be the frontrunner for Hasheem Thabeet, says SI.com's Sam Amick (Sulia link).

The Celtics reportedly made a play for O.J. Mayo at this year's trade deadline, and according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the C's still have interest in the Grizzlies wing heading into free agency.

Even if Bass isn't on the table, Mayo will be a free agent this summer, so the Celtics should have the cap flexibility to make a run at him if they so choose. It's not clear yet whether Mayo will be restricted or unrestricted, as Memphis has yet to formally extend him a qualifying offer.