Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin (Photo : Getty Images)
The NBA rumors continue to swirl around the two names: Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin as targets of the Boston Celtics.
Still the LA Lakers are dragged into the mix because of their rumored status as Russell Westbrook's preferred destination.
The Boston Celtics rumor was tweeted by different sources-one from Boston and one from Las Vegas and Sean Deveney of Sporting News took account of it.
While speculation has held that the Celtics would pursue Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook after Kevin Durant left the team to join the Warriors , sources told Sporting News that Westbrook's representatives have been given no word of a potential deal," Deveney concluded. "The likely target for the Celtics, according to front-office sources, is Clippers forward Blake Griffin."
Deveney also quoted rival front office executives who said that Boston "doesn't want to give up either Brooklyn pick Boston can own in the next two years."
If that's the case, it's unlikely they would ever land Westbrook. The Oklahoma City Thunder clearly has two goals for their Westbrook trade: to remain competitive and gain assets to rebuild again. The Brooklyn Nets pick is the clincher in that scenario.
Also, the Boston Celtics would not even consider giving up real assets for a Westbrook rental. There is no benefit for Westbrook to commit to any team,-he would obviously yearn for the free agent courtship process. While there is still a lot of time for the situation to develop, both sides are far apart. The Thunder wants the assets, the Celtics want the assurance that only Westbrook could give.
Griffin is a more viable option since the Clippers' priority is competing for the season. The Celtics can give a combination of rotation players like Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Amir Johnson or Avery Bradley and they may settle for a package without the Brooklyn picks. However, Griffin is also free agent next season. Based on the current projections, Griffin is more likely to stay in Boston than Westbrook.
That assumption is based on Westbrook's desire to play in LA, based on his hometown, college and personal lifestyle preferences. The Lakers can gamble on trading for Westbrook, as Silver Screen and Roll's podcast noted, D'Angelo Russell as a player is better than anyone the Celtics can offer.
The Lakers could agree to trade based on Russell alone since they play the same position. They should not trade away Brandon Ingram as that will decimate the roster. The Lakers owe their first round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers with only a top 3 protection. They need to sign free agents next summer if they want to improve.
The conclusion: Blake Griffin is more likely to join the Celtics than Westbrook, and the Lakers will only trade for Westbrook if D'Angelo Russell is enough.
These trades could happen later in the season. When the OKC Thunder come closer to the reality that Westbrook is leaving, they may have to take what they can get-and it could be just D'Angelo Russell and future picks (or Lou William/Nick Young). The Clippers, if the gap between them and the Golden State Warriors is too wide, would look towards the future and deal Griffin.
