Celtics see Avery Bradley as a cornerstone - hesitant to move him for Cousins

The DeMarcus Cousins rumors continue to swirl, and it's getting to the point where the old "where there's smoke - there's fire" adage is coming into play. One name that is consistently popping up as a possible trade chip for the Celts is Avery Bradley. Bradley is ready to return from shoulder surgery (double shoulder surgery at that) as soon as Wednesday night against Memphis.

His defense helped transform the C's from a team on the fringe of playoff contention at the All-Star break last season, to a team that nearly found themselves in the NBA Finals. So it's no surprise to hear today, that while the Green have a ton of interest in Cousins, they are in no rush to include Bradley in the package. Per David Aldridge.

Still, the Celtics are willing to take the gamble, according to another league source, and embrace the challenge of keeping Cousins on the right path. But if Petrie can't add any payroll, it's hard to see a scenario with Boston that would be enticing for the Kings, unless they're enamored with rookies Jared Sullinger or Fab Melo as centerpieces of a deal.

Including guard Avery Bradley might get a conversation going, but the Cs love Bradley's two-way game and have imagined him a cornerstone of their rebuild; Bradley's rapid development the second half of last season before his shoulder injuries put him on the shelf in the playoffs made it much easier for Boston to absorb Ray Allen's departure.

So the Celtics are very much in on Cousins, but are hesitant to trade the one guy who might get the trade done. Tough position for Danny to be in. Maybe we just hope that Fab Melo continues his Mark Eaton circa 1984-85 impression up in Portland and the Kings bite on a Lee/Sullinger/Melo package if we absorb Francisco Garcia's contract - and include the immortal Jason Collins.

It works in the trade machine, therefore it will clearly happen.

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