The Boston Celtics have been inevitably dragged into the Carmelo Anthony saga but they may not be triggering some NBA trade rumors soon.
According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, the Celtics may not be a player in this trade as first speculated.
"A source indicated that Knicks president Phil Jackson has instructed management to move Anthony, who has a no-trade clause but included the Celtics as one of the teams for whom he'd waive the clause. Boston could become part of a potential three-team deal that would send Anthony to another club, perhaps the Clippers," the report indicated.
"An NBA source said Celtics coach Brad Stevens would embrace coaching Anthony, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has rejected any deal. That hasn't stopped the Knicks from scouting Celtics players just in case Boston is willing to become part of a trade," Washburn concluded.
There is not much the Clippers can trade and a direct Blake Griffin for Carmelo Anthony swap was discounted. However, the idea of a third team getting involved to provide the assets to the New York Knicks in exchange for their star player may involve Blake Griffin if this explanation from Matt Connolly of Forbes holds true.
"The Clippers could help their cause by involving a third trade partner, though, dealing Griffin elsewhere before they're forced to choose between him and Paul this offseason (both are likely to opt out)," Connolly noted.
Griffin does not have a no-trade clause and he carries considerable risk since he is an impending free agent. There is no assurance that he would re-sign with the team that trades for him. On the other hand, the Celtics trading for Anthony was also ruled out.
|The Celtics are the wild card given their plethora of future picks and team-friendly payroll, but Anthony accepting a move to Boston would be surprising to say the least. GM Danny Ainge likely has his eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: a younger franchise player who could give the C's a real chance to come out of the East. Anthony, Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford would form a Big Three, but dealing for Melo would cost them some of their signature depth," Connolly explained.
This is a tricky trade for the Clippers and the Knicks but Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers can probably pull it off.