The NBA trade rumors will never be complete without the Boston Celtics-the most trade-ready team in the league.
With a collection of assets that can compare to any other teams, president Danny Ainge has been shooting for that deal that will take the team to another level.
As it is, the Celtics are sporting a 12-9 win-loss record, good for third place in the Eastern Conference. They are a good team now, but not enough to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers (or arguably even the Toronto Raptors). But the point is, the Celtics have the means to get better-more than any other team in the league.
They can mortgage their future to make a run this season. Trading their Brooklyn Nets' picks (swap for 2017, unprotected in 2018) can net them a big name this season and Danny Ainge already has a timeline to make his move as quoted in NESN.
"I think that from the middle of December through the middle of February it (gets) really heated up, and we anticipate that our phones will be ringing," Ainge said. Clearly, Ainge was using the NBA rules as reference.
"I think that December, after Dec. 15 is a date where players that signed in the offseason are now eligible to be traded," he said. "Some on Dec. 15, some on Jan. 15, and the trade deadline is the middle of February, so that's usually when a lot of the discussion happens."
Ainge would like to have all options open and two of those options could be Serge Ibaka and John Wall. Aside from the usual suspects of DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook which all gained buzz this summer, these two players may emerge as realistic options.
Serge Ibaka is a defensive power forward who can complement Al Horford. He will become a free agent next season and the Orlando Magic is likely to lose him for nothing. If Ainge can somehow get him to commit beyond this season, he's a worthy gamble.
However, the Celtics are still pushing for a game-changer and none of the teams that are on "win-now" mode will agree to trade their stars for future draft picks, even if they are lottery-bound.
If Celtics fan and sportswriter Bill Simmons is to be believed, the Washington Wizards may decide to tank this season and look towards rebuilding as he mentioned in his podcast (h/t The Washington Post).
"They're going to have to come to grips with whether they want to trade John Wall or not, and what they can get for him. If I'm running Washington, I would trade John Wall right now. I would just move him for picks and do a complete tankapalooza and try to rebuild and put myself in a much better spot," Simmons said.
Both the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards are struggling this season and are likely to miss the playoffs. They could definitely use another lottery pick.
While Ibaka could be signed, the Celtics risk losing him to more aggressive suitors. It is speculated that he could be acquired even without using any of the Brooklyn Nets' picks which makes him a desirable Ainge target.
Wall, on the other hand, is frustrated with his team's losses and their appreciation of him. The Celtics can solve one at least one of his problems. Pairing Wall with Horford instantly makes Boston a contender and he's definitely worth two future lottery picks.