Squashing another rumor - Clippers reportedly not interested in Garnett for Bledsoe trade
With the good Los Angeles team in town yesterday, it was not all that surprising to see trade rumors between the Celtics and Clippers pop up. After all with one team floating right at the .500 mark and with several key veterans on their roster, and the other team in 3rd place in their Conference and seemingly one piece away from being championship contenders - they were a natural fit. However, today those rumors are being shot down.
The specific deal rumored yesterday had the Celtics sending 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett to Los Angeles for 23 year old point guard Eric Bledsoe and journeyman forward Caron Butler. If (remember I'm saying if) the Celtics intend to blow things up, this is exactly the type of deal they should be trying to make. Acquiring a young; impact player, plus salary relief (the deal would have saved the Celts $17 million dollars thru 2015), and sending one of the most highly respected players in league history to a true contender in the city he calls his off-season home. With the Celtics playing extremely well since Rajon Rondo went down, it surely would've been a controversial move, but then again, we've seen Danny Ainge pull the trigger on deals that didn't exactly sit well with his fan base.
However today - it's all for not. Reportedly that is.
The Los Angeles Times Broderick Turner talked to a few NBA sources who quite emphatically shot down the rumored deal, from the article (link).
The Clippers are not pursuing Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett despite what has been reported, according to NBA officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Furthermore, the Clippers’ front office has not had any conversations with Boston’s front office about a rumored deal in which L.A. would use back-up point guard Eric Bledsoe and small forward Caron Butler as the centerpieces to acquire Garnett, said the officials.
Bledsoe is the starting point guard while Chris Paul remains out with a bruised right kneecap that has kept him out of 10 of the last 12 games and will sideline him again Monday night against the Washington Wizards.
The Clippers already struggle when Bledsoe goes to the bench for a rest and would be without a point guard if Bledsoe was moved.
The same NBA officials said that the Clippers can’t even consider moving Bledsoe until the team sees if Paul signs a contract extension with L.A. this summer.
Ahh trade season. One day a rumor hits the market, the next day, poof it's gone. Again - reportedly. It's always good to remember that we don't know who the sources in any of these articles are, so it's always worth taking them with a grain of salt. But for Celtics fans, a word of advice - Don't get comfortable. There are 17 days until the February 21st trade deadline, and the rumors will not stop until either A. that deadline passes, or B. A major deal actually does go down. So sit back, enjoy the current run, and be prepared for just about anything.
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