I guess you can’t hurt the Brooklyn Nets for trying. Like pretty much every other team in the NBA, they believe that their standing would be enhanced significantly by the presence of Paul Pierce in their lineup. Add to that the fact that whether they are ready to officially admit it, the Celtics are about to be in real rebuilding mode. Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo – these guys can all be had for a price.
But not what the Brooklyn Nets allegedly offered Boston in exchange for The Truth.
Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Nets and Celtics have indeed discussed a potential Pierce trade, with Brooklyn’s offer being Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and a 1st rounder for Pierce.
No thanks. The Celtics – and rightly so – want a more substantial package of players/assets to part with Pierce. If they really want to move him, I believe they can get a much better package from a contender.
This is what Woj has to say about other Piercer scenarios, some of which are dependent on KG’s trade status:
Several prominent executives and coaches with championship contenders told Yahoo! Sports they believe the Clippers would become more dangerous with Garnett.
Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro is a proponent of the deal, too, sources said.
The Celtics won’t consider moving Garnett to the Clippers for any other combination of players, and won’t revisit the talks unless Bledsoe and Jordan are in the package, sources said.
Boston hasn’t approached Garnett to waive his no-trade clause without an agreement in place, but there’s strong belief he would ultimately agree to it. What’s more, Boston could simply trade Paul Pierce and leave Garnett with even less desire to finish his career with a young, rebuilding roster.
Boston is balancing the parallel considerations of finding a way to add to its core for a playoff run, or disassembling its aging veterans to start the process of rebuilding again.
If the Celtics trade Garnett before the deadline, they would move Pierce, too, sources said. For the Celtics, the chance to get Bledsoe and Jordan could be a prelude to trying to package Pierce in a possible deal to the Atlanta Hawks for Josh Smith, sources said.
The Hawks also have discussed sending Pierce onto a third team in some previous conversations around the league. The Nets are trying to make a deal for Smith, too, and have offered Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and either a future first-round pick or the draft rights to Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic, sources said.
Do you think Paul Pierce will be moved before the NBA trade deadline?
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