The Boston Celtics are rebuilding and now that they have made a trade with Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks, Danny Ainge may look at deals with players like Jared Sullinger, Jeff Green, Evan Turner, Brandon Bass or Gerald Wallace, as the team may want to add more draft picks to the mix for Brad Stevens.
Executives and teams had thought Rondo would get traded at some point and now that he has been moved, the Celtics can fully commit to the rebuilding process. According to Pro Basketball Talk, it's likely that the team looks at trading Green and other players, as Green likely will opt into free agency next summer and could be a major target for teams. If the Celtics aren't going to sign Green, the team likely will trade him, which is the same situation that played out with Rondo.
Green comes in with a player option at just over $9 million next season and reports have teams very interested in him if he hits the market. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Green will be as coveted as Rondo would if he hits the market and he could end up with a better deal than what he would get paid for opting in. This season Green is averaging a career high in points scored per game and it couldn't come at a better time for him.
Turner could be moved in the same way that Jordan Crawford was last season, as the team signed Crawford in the offseason on a small deal and flipped him at the deadline. Turner was added on a veterans deal and now he could be a target for teams at the deadline. The team also has Wallace and Bass as options along with Turner, while Sullinger is unlikely to get moved. Stevens likes Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk along with Avery Bradley and that is now the new core for the Celtics with Rondo gone and Sullinger could end up part of that as well.
The Celtics have been happy with the development of Marcus Smart this season so far and that is one reason why they were willing to deal Rondo. Executives around the league were polled by ESPN and the majority thought that Ainge had no choice but to trade Rondo, as it would be crippling if he left as a free agent for nothing. Ainge made it clear that he wanted to try and keep Rondo, but that was likely just talk and since the team is in a hard rebuild he ended up making a move. Green and Turner also should be targets at the deadline this season.
The Boston Celtics sent Rajon Rondo in trade ahead of deadline this season to the Mavericks and they got back a number of players and draft picks in the deal. Now the team may look at deals with Green, Bass, Turner and Wallace, as they are in rebuilding mode and after Ainge pulled the trigger on a Rondo deal, teams like the LA Lakers, Houston Rockets, NY Knicks and Sacramento Kings could be interested in those players.
