LOY's PLACE a celtics green blog: Sorting Through the Rumors

It seems that lately every time I turn around there is a new rumor of a trade or someone the Celtics are hot to get in the draft. I am going to try to sort through some of the rumors that have been floating around the net.

First there was the rumor that would send Joe Johnson plus the 11th pick for the 5th pick and a player. This morphed into a deal where the Celtics would take Conley at 5 for the Hawks and Atlanta would pick for the Celtics at 11 and they would swap the picks along with Johnson going to Boston and Gerald Green going to Atlanta. As far as I could tell, this rumor came only from Celtics Thug on Real GM so it should be taken with a grain of salt or two. I honestly don't give much credence to this rumor. I haven't seen it backed up in any of the major news media other than this little tidbit in the Journal Times that mentions Atlanta trying to get the 5th pick to draft Conley, but doesn't mention Johnson in the trade.

There are some NBA observers who believe the Hawks, with the No. 3 pick, could trade down to the No. 5 spot, which is currently held by Boston. The Hawks would then draft Ohio State point guard Mike Conley Jr.

After the Atlanta rumor, there were rumors of the Celtics doing a sign and trade with Seattle for Rashard Lewis. This also started with Celtic Thug but soon was backed up in several media sources. The Herald mentioned a trade with Seattle:

There is a stronger possibility the C’s will talk to Seattle about one of its big men in exchange for No. 5, a contract and a younger player, but the SuperSonics are said to be sitting tight until they hire a new general manager. The Sonics’ Rashard Lewis would make the most sense for the Celtics, but he opted out of his contract and would have to be obtained in a sign-and-trade deal.

On CelticsStuff Live, Steve Bulpett mentioned that the Celtics were in talks about Lewis and they discussed it on FSN Sports Tonight as well. Jeff on Celtics Blog also confirmed that we were talking to Seattle. Shira Springer also gave some detail on this rumor.

If Phoenix doesn't work out as a trading partner, there is speculation around the league about a possible deal with Seattle that would bring forward Rashard Lewis to Boston. Lewis reportedly is good friends with Gerald Green and would consent to the deal if Green is not a part of the package. Robert Swift also could be in the mix. Ainge has coveted Swift in the past .

If we are going after Lewis, it would have to be after the draft since Lewis will be a free agent and we can't negotiate with free agents until July 1. The 5th pick likely wouldn't be included in this deal for that reason. I am sure if Danny could get Robert Swift in the deal, this would be the deal he goes for. Today we get a new wrinkle in this trade rumor from Peter Vescey in the NY Post. It seems that Lewis' agent may have made a mistake and Lewis may not be a free agent after all. So, that may put a big chink in these negotiations. We will keep you up to date as more comes out on this.

The next rumor had Phoenix doing a salary dump and sending Shawn Marion to Boston along with the 24th and 29th picks for Ratliff, the 5th pick, West and Gomes. This rumor also started with Celtics Thug on Real GM, but was very quickly backed up by Chad Ford as well as The Herald, Globe and FSN Sports Tonight. Marion is indeed available, but reportedly their asking price is a bit too steep. If they were asking Detroit for 2 starters plus picks, they would want a lot more than Ratliff from Boston. Plus, Phoenix wants to clear out some bad contracts and we would likely have to take Marcus Banks back to get Marion. I wouldn't put my money on Marion coming to Boston.

Next there were the Kobe to Boston rumors. There was a lot of speculation and trade scenarios that would land Kobe in Boston. Even though the Celtics have the assets to interest LA, Kobe has a no trade clause in his contract and would have to approve any trade. He has made it clear that he would like to go to Chicago, Phoenix, or NY and I don't see him wanting to come to Boston. The Lakers aren't ready to trade him at this point. Besides, I think he is just posturing and will stay in LA. I can see them jumping through hoops to try to get players he wants in order to keep him.

Finally, yesterday the Kevin Garnett trade rumors surfaced. Chad Ford started with this:

If KG's not going to Chicago, where could he go? From what I'm hearing -- and at this point it's just a hot rumor -- the Wolves and Boston Celtics are talking about a Garnett deal.
In this scenario, Boston would send Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and change to Minnesota along with the No. 5 pick in the upcoming draft. In exchange, the Celtics would get Garnett.

Then Henry Abbot on True Hoop added this tidbit:

It makes all kinds of sense that Boston would be interested in Kevin Garnett. They're a big market team in need of a savior. He's a big-time player ripe for a change, whose value could be unlocked on the big stage.
A couple of very smart people -- including one with some inside knowledge -- told me over the last few weeks that when the Kevin Garnett-to-Boston rumors start appearing, to take them a little more seriously than the vast majority of trade rumors.
Which means, like all trades, it probably won't happen. But don't dismiss it entirely.

This piece on SI tells us that the Wolves are contacting several teams to gauge interest and to find out what his value might be. In today's Herald, Danny confirms that he is talking to Minnesota but won't comment on specific rumors. I wouldn't mind taking Garnett if we could do it without giving up Jefferson. He should be untouchable in my opinion. Danny has passed up deals because he didn't want to trade Jefferson. Trading Jefferson, Theo, Green, Telfair and the 5th pick basically gives us a 1-2 year window to win and in exchange for that window, we give away our future in Al Jefferson and Gerald Green. You know how the story goes, Jefferson and the 5th pick and possibly Green are all All Stars for the next 10 years and lead Minny into the playoffs while Garnett is mostly injured and then retired or with another team and the Celtics are back to square one. Also, Garnett can opt out of his contract after this season and so we might be giving up our future for a one year rental on Garnett. Also to be considered is the fact that Garnett and Wally didn't get along in Minnesota and I doubt they would get along in Boston so Wally might have to go back to the Wolves if Garnett comes to Boston. I would much rather keep Jefferson.

SI.com also has some speculation that there may be an Amare for KG swap in the works. So far talks are listed in the preliminary stages. It seems as though the Wolves are contacting teams to judge interest and KG's value and are floating some rumors to try to get his value up. They were discussing this on FSN last night and Dickerson is all for trading Al to get Garnett but Tanguay feels, as I do, that it is too much to give up for a 1 or 2 year window with Garnett.

The Chicago Tribune reports that now with Chris Wallace in place, Memphis may revisit the Gasol trade possibilities. There is nothing concrete mentioned but if Gasol becomes available, I expect Danny would make an offer. Wallace knows our players and may just bite. On the other hand, he may not want to trade with his former team due to appearances.

Other draft related news and rumors include Jeff Green remaining in the draft and there is speculation that he may have received a promise from a team picking high enough to make him want to forgo his senior season. Ford mentioned that several teams in the top 12 were on the phones trying to convince Green to stay in the draft. Hawes and Young are also staying in the draft. Euros Koponen and Belinelli are also staying in the draft. Rumors are that Koponen got a promise from a team in the first round to keep him in the draft.

The Hawks are reported to be very high on Al Horford with the 3rd pick. Doc and Danny reportedly like Jeff Green and he may be the 5th pick if we keep it. Could the rumored promise have come from Boston?

Shira Springer reports on this week's workouts.

The Celtics have Florida forward/center Al Horford scheduled for Friday, while second-round candidates Coby Karl (Boise State), Torey Thomas (Holy Cross), Bobby Brown (Cal State-Fullerton) and Roderick Wilmont (Indiana) will workout today. Chinese guard Sun Yue will be back today for a second workout. While reporters could not watch Julian Wright, Sun or Keith Simmons work out yesterday, Sun impressed with a solid grasp of English and, according to reports, he appears ready for the NBA both physically and culturally. With recent experience against ABA competition, Sun believes he has a good idea of what the NBA game requires.

Hmmmm Sun Yue is coming back for a second workout. I wonder if, dispite rumors that Danny has cooled on Yi, Danny is going to go all Chinese with the draft with Yi at 5 and Sun Yue at 32.

That's it for the rumor mill today. Stay tuned as we will keep you informed as news becomes available.

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