Blake Griffin (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics could be the dark horse in making a blockbuster trade before the Feb. 18 deadline.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is rumored to be "quietly aggressive" searching for a marquee deal that would instantly catapult the team's chances for an NBA title.
"Boston has been quietly aggressive, with its well-chronicled array of assets, in search of the splashy move we all know team president Danny Ainge would love to make," ESPN's Marc Stein reported.
Stein also noted that the Celtics may still have to wait for a "starry trade," with DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Love out of the equation after their respective teams declined to put them on the trading block. But the Celtics could still have a chance to net the superstar they are longing for in Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin.
Zach Lowe of ESPN suggested in his story that the Clippers should trade Griffin, who is considered as one of the franchise's cornerstone.
The Clippers would probably make the playoffs, with the team embracing a 31-16 record. But the Clips are looking like a team who do not have a chance against the top three teams in the West: Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. In fact, the Clippers are 0-5 so far in the 2015-2016 NBA regular season against these teams.
Lowe proposed that the Clippers should think of shaking up their roster, which apparently includes trading Griffin, who would net the highest return in a trade deal. Furthermore, Lowe also packaged a trade scenario that would send Griffin to Bean Town.
According to Lowe, the Clippers would probably want someone who could still maintain or elevate the team's status as a playoff contender. Lowe added that the Celtics could offer Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, one big man, who could be Jonas Jerebko, and two first round picks, including the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected picks.
Lowe's trade proposal succeeds in ESPN' trade machine, but such deal would be "hard to make," according to Ainge, who admitted the Celtics are looking for an upgrade despite placing fifth in the East with a 27-21 record.
"How good players are, is going to depend on if people want them and what sort of value we place on them," Ainge told Comcast Sportsnet.
"So, how good players play, the more they will demand and the more we'll want in return."
It is not too unrealistic that the Celtics orchestrate a blockbuster deal before the deadline, but for someone like Griffin, Boston must pull off a package too enticing to pass on.
