More players are popping up on the NBA trade rumor mill. The Boston Celtics have more than a full roster and need to trim some names, and Jared Sullinger is supposedly one of them.
The Boston Celtics are still in their rebuilding year, still unable to grab a big name to be their franchise carrier. They have a slew of draft picks and an abundance of players and now they feel it's time to trim down.
One of the players that the Celtics find expendable is Jared Sullinger, according to Zach Lowe from Grantland. The Celtics are crowded in the power forward spot, but he suggests "Boston could always trade a big to ease the roster crunch, and Sullinger might be the likeliest candidate to go."
There are reasons why the Celtics would pick the former Ohio State standout: "He's had constant conditioning issues, he's still a sub-30-percent shooter from deep after two years of hoisting, and he's probably never going to be a plus defender."
In fact, the Celtics reportedly discussed a trade with the Knicks for the 4th overall pick, according to NESN. Danny Ainge continues to prefer youth, and there are some quality targets in this year's draft. Justise Winslow was rumored to be one of their targets and so was Willie Cauley-Stein. A package of Jared Sullinger and first round picks (that the Knicks are short of) was offered.
As we all know, the deal did not push through and Phil Jackson rolled the dice with Latvian player Kristaps Porzingis. Boston was one of the most active in draft night in trying to break into the lottery, but Ainge admitted, the price was "way too high."