Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin walk to center court during a 109-97 Thunder win at Staples Center. (Photo : Getty Images/Harry How)
The NBA trade rumor mill has a new staple of names and the Boston Celtics is linked with every one of them.
Since the Kevin Durant departure, Russell Westbrook has been on the rumor mill and now, actual talks have been confirmed in this report.
While the Celtics have a lot of assets and players to offer, Westbrook is a definite flight risk as he will become a free agent at the end of the 2017 season. This is why the odds are not too high on the Celtics sealing the deal.
As compiled by Metro, the Celtics only has an 11-1 chance of landing Westbrook, as Matt Burke stated. Thunder GM Sam Presti is not taking the rebuild route yet and wants a package that would keep the Thunder competitive. Despite Westbrook's contract status, Presti is not taking any less value.
Burke noted that the trade target most likely going to Boston is still Jahlil Okafor. The odds are pegged at 9-5 as the Sixers may have dug themselves in a hole and even GM Bryan Colangelo has admitted that a trade has to be made. Danny Ainge just needs a reasonable offer to seal the deal, but Colangelo and Ainge may be far apart on defining "reasonable."
As it stands, the odds are even lower for the other stars to land in Bean town. Blake Griffin, a name that sprung from Boston radio personality Dan Lifshatz, only has a slim 12-1 chance even though he has a player option that can make him a free agent at the end of the season just like Westbrook.
Despite the juggernaut of the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers, specifically Doc Rivers believes that his team can still muster another run. As Burke stated, "Doc Rivers does not seem like the kind of guy who wants to make big trades."
Kevin Love is pegged at 25-1 simply because the Cavs, according to Burke, may not be motivated to defend their title as much as people think. They may be inclined to coast through the regular season all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals (they're strong enough to make it) just keeping "the team that brought the title" intact. LeBron James seems to have a "mission accomplished" vibe to him and this will rub off on the team.
Burke pegs DeMarcus Cousins at 26-1 as the Kings would probably ride it out with Boogie until he demands a trade. Jimmy Butler, once a very real prospect and the Celtics almost had him before the draft, is now a distant 30-1.
