DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)
In a quick twist of events, it seems like the teams with the marquee players are now the ones calling Danny Ainge.
The Boston Celtics did not make a splash during draft night, but now, it seems like they played their cards just right. With the Brooklyn Nets floundering through free agency and Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets' picks that Ainge holds suddenly turned to gold.
Even as early as a week ago, Ainge and Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck confirmed through CSNNE that their "phones are ringing."
The usual suspect is DeMarcus Cousins but in the same report, Kevin O'Connor mentioned that Cousins may not be the ideal personality fit for the Boston Celtics.
The buzz continues and it seems like every big name on the trading block are up for grabs for the Celtics.
With the Warriors' "superteam," teams from suddenly realize that their chances to win the title have plummeted. Even the LA Clippers who had a rivalry with the Warriors actually had talks with the Boston Celtics. Sean Deveney of Sporting News confirmed.
"The likely target for the Celtics, according to front-office sources, is Clippers forward Blake Griffin. The Clippers have been weighing trading Griffin all season , and the possibility of a three-team package involving Sacramento sending Rudy Gay to the Clippers has emerged."
For the longest time, the Celtics have been rumored to be coveting DeMarcus Cousins and while that has not been officially confirmed, it is obvious that the Celtics are looking for a franchise player, specifically, in Ainge's words, "a stronger center." Griffin is not exactly a center and Al Horford would ideally play power forward than center (which would not be the case if Griffin was the one they got).
Now that other prospects have been linked to the Celtics-with real talks happening as opposed to trade machine scenarios, the Sacramento Kings may have to think twice. Instead of waiting on the Celtics to make the offer for Cousins, Sacramento Kings GM Vlade Divac may have to be the one to call Ainge for the Brooklyn Nets' picks.
Griffin is just the start, but Russell Westbrook is another prospect that could logically be dealt. While Sean Deveney did only confirmed Griffin and that the Celtics "has not yet made contact with Westbrook's representatives," that could easily happen in the near future.
With real superstar trade options right in front of him, Ainge now has the upper hand over the Kings if they still want DeMarcus Cousins. The only caveat is that both Griffin and Westbrook are expiring contracts who could bolt the Celtics after the season. Boogie has one extra year as he's signed until the end of the 2017-18 season.
