The Boston Celtics could be on the verge of signing either Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin after Danny Ainge posted a cryptic message on social media.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge only put fuel to the fire of rumors circulating the league about a potential blockbuster trade involving OKC Thunder's Russell Westbrook and LA Clippers' Blake Griffin after sending out a cryptic message on Twitter. Ainge posted a photo on Twitter of a 22-ton dead humpback whale that first washed ashore of Encinitas Beach of San Diego, which, according to SB Nation's Celtics Blog writer Kevin O'Connor, could mean meeting a star in the West Coast.
"So, is this #RoadTripToSanDiego just a mere road trip?" O'Connor wrote.
"Nah. You know what it is. Come on. Put the pieces together. It's a road trip for a bunch of championship hungry Celtics that could involve a meeting with a star trade target."
The Celtics have not been shy to stress out their plans of adding one more start to their already promising lineup led by All-Star center Al Horford. After falling short of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, there is a growing sense the Celtics are targeting the likes of Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin to complete their offseason roster revamp.
O'Connor hinted that the two stars the Celtics' may attempt to meet in San Diego could be Westbrook and Griffin.
In a recent Instagram post, Westbrook revealed he is in the state, which makes him one of the possible stars Boston are pursuing in San Diego.
Westbrook has been in the heat of trade talks in the aftermath of Kevin Durant's decision to join the Golden State Warriors, and the Celtics have appeared as the "most likely" destination of the Thunder star, according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck.
"What I'm hearing here in Las Vegas from some GMs is that, not only do they think that Westbrook will get traded, that it will be sooner than later -- probably before the season starts -- and that the most likely destination right now would be the Boston Celtics," Beck said.
Meanwhile, Griffin has also been linked to the Celtics in the past few months, and Ainge's trip to San Diego could be what Sporting News' Sean Deveney described as a "major deal coming soon" in Boston.
"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," Deveney wrote.
Whether the Celtics would really consider trading for Westbrook or Griffin remains to be seen, but if Ainge is serious about "not done" making noise this offseason, there is a great chance his visit to California could once again alter the landscape of the league.