Trading Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks is unlikely to be the only move the Boston Celtics make before the February trade deadline. Celtics players being named as likely candidates to be dealt include Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and Brandan Wright, according to multiple reports.
Moving Rondo signaled Celtics president Danny Ainge was now ready to do a complete rebuild. Expiring contracts are a hot commodity in the NBA, and Boston has a handful of them to package into trades. Marcus Thornton, Bass and Wright are all in the final year of their deals, and Green has the option to become a free agent after the season. Their contracts, along with their veteran experience, has a number of NBA writers believing they'll be gone before the Feb. 19 trade deadline passes.
"I think you're right in that Boston will look to trade Green, Wright, Bass and Thornton," Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders wrote Thursday. "I think they should move Green since he's 29 years old and will likely leave this offseason as a free agent if they don't trade him. The same can be said for Wright, and it seems like they're open to flipping him. They've been looking at Bass deals for (a while) and I think they'll part ways with him if the right offer presents itself.
"I don't think there's any rush for Boston to make a move, they might as well wait for the deadline to see if the offers improve. Green and Wright probably have the best trade value of the group and I could see a contender parting with picks and a young player to land one of those guys. ... If they have the chance to land some attractive young prospect, they'll likely pull the trigger on that deal. But otherwise, I think Danny Ainge feels like the more picks he can get, the better. Not only does it allow him to grab guys he likes, he can package picks together in a larger deal to land a big-name player or better pick."
ESPN's Chad Ford also thinks Boston will be active before the trade deadline, and he believes Green and Bass will be the odd men out.
Green, Bass and Thornton would be attractive options for a playoff-bound team in need of depth off the bench and veteran experience. Wright, the big man Boston acquired in the Rondo trade with Dallas, has been mentioned as a possible target of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
