Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Close To Signing Terrence Williams

February 18th, 2013 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

11:01am: Williams is close to signing with the Celtics, according to Washburn (via Twitter). He is expected to join the team and finalize a deal once he receives a clearance letter from his former Chinese team.

10:19am: In search of depth, the Celtics are "strongly considering" signing free agent swingman Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract, reports Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

Discussing potential roster moves for the Celtics in the wake of a handful of season-ending injuries, president Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers have both indicated that adding a player on a 10-day deal is likely as the team looks for a short-term fix. Rivers specifically noted that the Chinese Basketball Association's season was coming to an end soon, which was where Williams spent the majority of the year. Mark Deeks of ShamSports reported last week that Williams had returned stateside due to a death in the family.

Williams, 25, averaged 17.9 PPG in 29 games for the Guangdong Southern Tigers this season, according to Asia-Basket.com. The Louisville product has yet to deliver on the promise that got him picked 11th overall in the 2009 draft, but has shown flashes of potential in stints with the Nets, Rockets, and Kings. In 129 career NBA games, he has recorded 7.6 PPG and an 11.4 PER.

Latest On Josh Smith

February 17th, 2013 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

10:07am: The Suns aren't among the teams making a play for Smith, as Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News writes at the end of his league-wide roundup. They, like other teams, are wary of giving Smith a max deal in the summer, according to Lawrence.

9:00am: The Bucks, Nets, Celtics, 76ers and Wizards are among the many involved in talks for Hawks forward Josh Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Other teams are engaged as well, and there's a strong belief that Smith will be on the move before Thursday's trade deadline, according to Wojnarowski. Smith will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and he believes he's deserving of a maximum-salary contract. It appears as though the Hawks are unwilling to meet that demand, and that has apparently sparked interest in a deal.

The Nets were reportedly making a strong push for Smith as recently as a week ago, but it's clear they have competition. The Hawks seem to be in a position of strength, with multiple teams going after a player who's likely the best player on the trading block as the deadline approaches. Atlanta, with less than $18.5MM in firm commitments for next season, looks like it's set up to have the cap room to add a pair of maximum-salary players this summer. Dwight Howard is an Atlanta native, so the Hawks could be a viable option if he elects not to re-sign with the Lakers. When I examined Smith's trade candidacy a couple of weeks ago, I predicted Hawks GM Danny Ferry would hold on to Smith in hopes that he might want to recruit Howard, the best man in his wedding, back to Georgia. Even if that doesn't happen, and Smith signs elsewhere, the Hawks would at least have a ton of cap room to play with.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported a week ago that the Hawks are looking for "a quality young center" in return for Smith. That's an asset the Celtics don't possess, and I'm not sure either the Nets or Hawks would have interest in including Brook Lopez in a Smith deal. Larry Sanders of the Bucks, Kevin Seraphin of the Wizards and Spencer Hawes of the Sixers are young centers who've shown promise, but perhaps not enough to entice Ferry and the Hawks.

Smith is making $13.2MM in the final season of his deal, which includes a 15% trade kicker. Since he signed his contract under the old CBA, the team that acquires him in a trade must pay the extra money. If Smith is traded at Thursday's deadline, the kicker would amount to approximately $1.3MM, or 15% of the prorated amount remaining on his salary this season.

Sacks Says Clippers Not Shopping Jordan, Bledsoe

February 16th, 2013 at 5:16pm CST by Sean Highkin

Los Angeles Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the team is not actively shopping DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe, or any other player on its roster:

"I haven't called anybody to say, 'Hey, we have Eric Bledsoe and would you like him?' Or, 'We have DeAndre Jordan or we have anybody and would you want them?' That's not where I am right now with this team," Sacks said in a phone interview from Houston on Saturday. "That's not where we are."

Sacks' comments come in the wake of widespread reports that the Clippers are discussing a deal with the Celtics that would send Bledsoe and Jordan to Boston in exchange for Kevin Garnett, but may be viewed as a message to other teams that he is not interested in dealing the two players.

Celtics, Clippers Discussing Kevin Garnett Trade

February 16th, 2013 at 4:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:47pm: Though he made comments indicating he would welcome Garnett to L.A., Chris Paul said he's not pushing the Clippers to make the deal, notes USA Today's Sam Amick.

4:22pm: Garnett has not ruled out accepting a trade to Los Angeles, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The Clippers, who began their efforts to land Garnett with the Bledsoe-Butler package more than two weeks ago, have always been willing to increase their price, Deveney writes.

3:42pm: Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears the teams have not discussed Garnett, and that the Clippers don't want to approach the luxury tax line (Twitter link). The Clippers are about $1MM shy of the $70.307MM tax threshold, but acquiring Garnett for Jordan and Bledsoe would save the team money. The other version of the deal, sending out Green, Turiaf and Butler, would likely make the Clippers a taxpayer.

2:51pm: Though Garnett has said he won't waive his no-trade clause under any circumstances, the Clippers are confident they can persuade him to come to L.A. if the Celtics tell him it's a deal they want to make, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

SATURDAY, 10:45am: Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets that the Clippers' primary incentive to do the trade is Del Negro's belief that Jordan isn't a championship-caliber center. He writes that the team discussed the possibility of trading for Anderson Varejao before the Cavs' big man's season-ending injury.

FRIDAY, 12:53am: Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro would be willing to do the deal, but the team's front office is "totally against the move," according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Clippers executives would prefer to send out Willie Green, Ronny Turiaf and Caron Butler for Garnett (Twitter links).

12:11am: The Celtics and Clippers have been in consistent contact about a trade that would send Kevin Garnett to L.A. for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan, report Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Factions within both teams are debating whether the deal would be the best course of action. This appears to be the latest incarnation of a proposal that would have sent Bledsoe and Caron Butler to Boston for Garnett.

After that rumor surfaced a couple of weeks ago, we heard that Garnett would not waive his no-trade clause unless he was dealt to L.A., which is close to his home in Malibu, Calif., and also unless the Celtics also traded Paul Pierce. While no Pierce trade appears imminent, sources tell Wojnarowski and Spears that Garnett's close relationship with Clippers guard Chauncey Billups could help coax him into accepting the swap.

The Clippers have been reluctant to deal Bledsoe without knowing what Chris Paul will do in free agency this summer, but the team's front office is becoming increasingly confident Paul will re-sign, according to the Yahoo! report. Many within the organization believe Garnett would strengthen the team's title hopes, which explains the team's pursuit. It appears that the Clippers initiated talks of the earlier Garnett-Bledsoe-Butler proposal.

Wojnarowski and Spears point out that acquiring Bledsoe would allow the Celtics to deal away Rajon Rondo without getting a point guard in return, and earlier tonight a report surfaced about a potential Rondo/Dwight Howard swap. As I wrote then, it appears Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is aggressively pursuing his options as Thursday's trade deadline nears. Ainge has reportedly been looking for something to get "really, really excited about" in any deal for Garnett, and it's unclear whether Bledsoe and Jordan would be enough to satisfy that requirement.

From a salary perspective, the deal works out well for the Celtics. It would only add $674,432K to the team's salary, leaving about $2MM under Boston's $74.307MM hard cap, plenty of room to pursue another player to fill out the team's injury-depleted roster. Jordan's four-year, $43MM contract includes a 15% trade kicker, but because it was signed after the league's current CBA went into effect, the Clippers would have to absorb the extra money if they trade their center, and not the team that acquires him.

Pacific Links: Clippers, Warriors, Gordon, Kobe

February 16th, 2013 at 3:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacific Division will be well-represented in tomorrow's All-Star Game, as five of the 12 Western Conference All-Star spots are occupied by players from the division, and four of the five starters come from the two L.A. teams. There easily could have been six Pacific Division All-Stars if the coaches had selected Stephen Curry as a reserve. Here's more on a few All-Stars who were voted as starters by the fans, including a hint at retirement from one of them.

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin would welcome Kevin Garnett to the Clippers if he's traded to the team, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com observes.
ESPN's Chris Broussard wrote a couple of days ago that the Warriors are one of a few clubs believed to have inquired about Eric Gordon, but Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports that Golden State is not engaged in talks about the Hornets shooting guard. The W's are turned off by Gordon's injury history, contract, and the Hornets' likely asking price (Sulia link).
In a video on Nike Basketball's YouTube page, Kobe Bryant sat down with former NBA player Damon Jones and addressed how long he plans on playing. "Probably two years max," Bryant said."Two years max. Next year might be it. It's one of those things, I think I'll wake up, and I'll know, and if it's it for me, then that's it, and there's no looking back." Bryant's contract expires at the end of next season (hat tip to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy).
Carl Landry, who has a $4MM player option on his contract with the Warriors for next season, spoke to Grantland's Zach Lowe about his enjoyment playing for Golden State and coach Mark Jackson (Twitter link).

Celtics Rumors: Josh Smith, Rondo, Dwight, Pierce

February 16th, 2013 at 1:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

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.

Garnett Won’t Waive No-Trade Clause

February 16th, 2013 at 11:37am CST by Sean Highkin

In the midst of rumors that the Clippers and the Celtics are discussing a Kevin Garnett trade, the veteran forward told reporters Saturday that he will not waive his no-trade clause for any team. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Garnett simply replied "No" when asked if there was any team or circumstance under which he would allow himself to be traded.

Yahoo! Sports reported on Friday evening that the Clippers and Celtics are discussing the framework of a trade that would send Garnett to Los Angeles in exchange for DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe. Garnett was believed to be open to waiving his no-trade clause in this situation because he owns a home in Malibu and the Clippers are a contender. However, he came out strongly on Saturday against the notion.

Garnett is the owner of one of only four no-trade clauses in the NBA, alongside Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Dirk Nowitzki.

Bucks Pursuing Josh Smith, Shopping Everybody?

February 16th, 2013 at 9:19am CST by Sean Highkin

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.

Lakers, Celtics In Talks To Swap Dwight, Rondo

February 15th, 2013 at 10:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:08pm: Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, speaking with Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tonight, strongly denied that any Howard-Rondo talks have taken place at any time this season.

"I haven't talked to Danny Ainge in weeks. I made the statement a week or two ago that we're not going to trade Dwight Howard and that hasn't changed," Kupchak said (All Twitter links).

Kupchak hasn't spoken with anyone else in the Celtics organization either, Broussard also tweets.

9:54pm: A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that there's nothing to the rumored Howard-for-Rondo proposal (Twitter link).

8:43pm: The Lakers and Celtics have engaged in preliminary talks about a trade involving Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The proposal has yet to gain traction, Berger writes, and Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge would be reluctant to do a deal without assurances from Howard that he would re-sign with the Celtics this summer. The Lakers are also continuing to insist they won't trade Howard, and that's the impression the Celtics have at present, according to Berger.

The trade could be tabled until after the offseason, but a sign-and-trade would only allow Howard to sign with the Celtics for four years instead of five, Berger points out, which would cost him as much as $30MM. It would also preclude the Celtics from exceeding the luxury-tax apron next season and keep them from using their full midlevel exception under new sign-and-trade rules going into effect this summer.

Sources tell Berger that the Nets, Mavericks and Rockets are teams that intrigue Howard as he looks ahead to free agency this summer. Absent from that list are the Celtics, which would seem to make the deal a long shot. By taking back Rondo, who's out for the year with a torn ACL, the Lakers would be throwing up a white flag of sorts with regard to this season, though the Celtics would have to throw in others who make at least another $5.8MM for the deal to work under the league's salary-matching rules. Rondo would also be an odd fit in L.A., considering fellow point guard Steve Nash is the only Laker signed past 2014.

Howard said happiness and the ability to have fun on the court is what he'll look for in a free agent destination, and he said he's not having as much fun as he used to, as Berger notes. While a trade to Boston or elsewhere might not be in the cards before Thursday's deadline, it seems there's a strong chance Howard won't be wearing the purple and gold come next season. The Celtics, meanwhile, could be in for radical changes as Ainge, as he has done in the past, appears open to exploring blockbuster moves to return the team to title contention.

Celtics Rumors: Garnett, Downs, Green

February 15th, 2013 at 6:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics enter the All-Star break winners of eight of their last nine, with a three-point loss to the league-worst Bobcats as the only blemish. Boston is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but just five games back of the Knicks, with whom the C's would matchup if the playoffs began today. Coach Doc Rivers discussed some of the options available as the team looks to bolster its depleted roster, and we've also heard today about the Boston's interest in Luke Ridnour. There's plenty more from the back bay, and we'll round it up here:

Appearing on ESPN Radio, Kevin Garnett said that his recent comments about playing in his last All-Star Game weren't meant to hint at retirement, though he added that he doesn't expect to play until he's 40 (audio link).
We've already heard the Celtics are taking a look at Jannero Pargo and Delonte West, and A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com adds 6'8" small forward Micah Downs to the names on the team's list. Even though the Celtics have greater needs at other positions, Rivers said he'd rather have the best player available, no matter the position.
Rivers, in his comments to WEEI, noted that the Chinese league's season is ending soon as he discussed possible signing targets. The CBA regular season ends Sunday, freeing guys whose teams failed to make the postseason, while others will become available once their squads have been eliminated. Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com examines 10 Chinese leaguers who could help the Celtics.
Jeff Green's four-year, $36.24MM contract includes $1.04MM worth of incentives, at least some of which are tied to his rebounding, as Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com reveals. "That one area was our biggest concern," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. "To me, it's not a lack of effort. It's about bad habits. I don't think Jeff has ever focused on rebounding in his life, from what I can tell."