Danny Ainge admits to veteran trade talks

Danny Ainge has been adamantly shooting down trade rumors regarding Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. But just because Rondo is not on the block, doesn't mean Ainge is not exploring moving other players.

Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries are described by Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald as players the Celtics would love to move:

We’ve written here before that despite the lack of interest in trading Rondo — unless they get the proverbial offer they can’t refuse — the Celtics are still active in the market. Sources continue to say they’d love to move some veteran contracts (think Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace) to put them in a better position vis-a-vis the salary cap.
“I think that we don’t have much flexibility, as much as we would like,” said Ainge. “I wouldn’t say it’s a priority, but we are having conversations.”

This has been a poorly kept secret since the day of the blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets - but nice to hear Ainge acknowledge what everyone has been thinking.  That trade was made for the draft picks coming to Boston, not the players.

Gerald Wallace is on one of the worst contracts in the NBA ($30.3 million over 3 years), but can still produce on a contender. It would be a minor miracle, but maybe Danny can find a way to flip Wallace.

Kris Humphries on the other hand has no chance of being on the Celtics past the 2014 trade deadline. Humphries is making $12 million this season and his contract expires at season's end. His expiring contract combine with rebounding ability will certainly be sought after.

Hopefully "Trader Danny" can work something here to keep setting Boston up for the future and acquire more assets to add to the stockpile. Moving Wallace particularly would be an accomplishment of its own to shed that monster salary. Good to hear that Ainge agrees.

Source: Steve Bulpitt/Boston Herald

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