The Boston Celtics appear to have only one plan for the offseason: get Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love. If Boston is unable to acquire Love, the Celtics reportedly will look to trade Rajon Rondo and begin a complete rebuild.
Love purportedly doesn't want to play in Minnesota, and he's using the opt-out clause in his contract for next season as leverage to force a trade this offseason. If Timberwolves president and coach Flip Saunders does agree to trade Love, the deal would likely happen before the 2014 NBA draft on Thursday, when he can get maximum value for the All-Star.
The Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls, two teams who Love purportedly wants to play for, are considered the top contenders for him. Boston, though, has a bevy of assets to offer Minnesota in a trade, including the Nos. 6 and 17 picks of the draft.
"So far, according to a source, they have offered the Nos. 6 and 17 picks in this year's draft, Kelly Olynyk and one of their future No. 1 picks," Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald wrote on Thursday. "They also own two more first-rounders from the Nets and one from the Clippers after this season, and the Celts are said to be certainly willing to discuss different combinations of their assets."
If Boston is unable to get Love in a trade, however, Bulpett reports Rondo would be placed on the trade block and shopped around.
"If the Celtics cannot get Love," Bulpett wrote, "they are planning to continue with the longer and more methodical rebuilding process, a process that would likely see Rajon Rondo traded. (An NBA source said they would also have taker for Jeff Green if they chose to move him.)"
Rondo is routinely the subject of trade rumors, but Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said last season Rondo wasn't going anywhere.
If Rondo were to be shopped, Boston wouldn't have a difficult time finding suitors and would net a huge gain for the perennial All-Star.
