The Boston Celtics have a plethora of options to consider leading up to the NBA Draft, but the team may have tipped its hand.
According to Sports Illustrated, the Celtics are “locked in” drafting Arizona with the sixth overall pick in the draft. Plan B: pulling off a “blockbuster” trade.
Several league sources believe that Celtics GM Danny Ainge is locked in on Gordon. While Gordon’s shooting is a concern, he is a strong rebounder and shot blocker who can defend either forward spot and has been compared to Shawn Marion. A trade is possible here, too. Ainge is always on the lookout for a make a blockbuster deal, and with Boston’s assets he is more than equipped to do so.
There is reason to believe that the Celtics’ trigger man would only tip his hand in order to facilitate another move — potentially force another team interested in Gordon to move up or to try and push a potential trade. With Ainge, both options are not out of the realm of possibility.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who are on the clock a pick later at No. 7, have shown interest in Gordon as well, the Los Angeles Times reported.
If the interest is Gordon is true, he could be a successor to Jeff Green at power forward, joining the young front court of Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Vitor Faverani. Green is under contract through the 2014-15 season and holds a player option the following year, but has reportedly drawn the interest of the Washington Wizards.
If the interest in Gordon is a smokescreen for something larger Ainge has in the works, then there a number of different scenarios to consider. The most intriguing, of course, would be involving Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love.
Love was spotted in Boston last weekend, hanging out with New England Patriots players and even had a brief encounter with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo at a Red Sox game. He’s on the trade block and coveted by most NBA clubs, and the Celtics present a strong case to be a trade partner given then wealth of draft picks.
Then there’s the potential for a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets. Whispers out of Houston had a Chandler Parsons-for-Rajon Rondo deal in the works closer to the NBA trade deadline, and now it appears if the Rockets are going to decline the option for Parsons’ contract and allow him to reach free agency. The Rockets seem intent on not paying Parsons in order to lure another max-contract sort of player to Houston, so perhaps the Celtics would want to re-interest themselves into the mix for the forward.
