Category: Rumors

Boston might be able to enlist the Clippers to land Jrue Holiday – and might trade Malcolm Brogdon regardless

Jared Weiss of the Athletic reports the Celtics are exploring contingency deals for the former 6MOTY while in pursuit of Holiday.

More rumbles about the Boston Celtics having an interest in trading for now-Portland Trail Blazers veteran point guard Jrue Holiday — and possibly dealing the NBA’s 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon whether or not such a Holiday trade materializes — has been percolating up this Friday morning via The Athletic NBA insider Jared Weiss.

Per Weiss, the “price for Holiday likely starts at two first-round picks, but several teams in the mix have the means and motivation to go beyond that.” That milieu of ball clubs of course includes the Celtics, but also the Los Angeles Clippers — a team Boston has also been linked to this offseason via trade rumors.

With Los Angeles also in the hunt for Holiday, the ask could get quite steep, unless of course Boston gets involved in another way.

Report: Jrue Holiday lists Boston Celtics among preferred trade destinations

The Celtics, who have an interest in trading for Holiday per multiple reports, would have to get creative or brave in order to make a competitive offer.

If the Boston Celtics are serious about a potential trade for former Milwaukee Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday, they will be happy to hear that the interest is reportedly mutual.

Holiday is, for now, a member of the Portland Trail Blazers as a result of the three-team deal that sent ex-Blazers floor general Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Per the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson, “the (Miami) Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers are destinations that appeal to Holiday.”

That is key to any deal for the former Milwaukee guard given Holiday, 33, has a player option worth $37.4 million for the 2024-25 season. That means he can become a free agent next summer.

The Celtics, who have an interest in trading for Holiday per multiple reports, would have to get creative or brave to make a competitive offer that would be allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement given the roughly $36 million in salary Holiday is owed this season.

But it also does not rule Boston out of such a trade even if the reality of a trade for the Los Angeles native to the Celtics remains slim.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Celtics Lab 218: Dame to Bucks, Jrue to Boston? Making sense of a wild NBA afternoon

C Lab linked up with HoopsHype cap guru Yossi Gozlan and Celtics Blog’s Jack Simone; tune into this late-night episode to get your bearings on a rapidly shifting NBA landscape as we do the same.

Damian Lillard is no longer a member of the Portland Trail Blazers organization, having been dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks for veteran point guard Jrue Holiday in a move that likely vaults the Bucks into at least the same tier of contention in the Eastern Conference.

But for fans of the Boston Celtics, the imminent concerns do not just end with the seeding the two teams have at the end of the NBA’s 2023-24 season and their potential collision in the postseason; the Celtics have also been linked to Holiday as a potential destination, Boston evidently believing they at least need to explore further bolstering their roster in light of the trade of Lillard to Milwaukee.

What to make of an unexpected and tumultuous afternoon in the league, the seismic fallout of the Dame deal still sending shockwaves through the league’s plans? To talk it through, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with HoopsHype cap guru Yossi Gozlan and Celtics Blog’s Jack Simone; tune into this late-night episode to get your bearings on a rapidly shifting NBA landscape as we do the same.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by FanDuel and AG1.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Shams: Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, among teams to watch for a Jrue Holiday trade

“Those are the types of teams I would expect you could look at as potential suitors,” said Charania.

Could the Boston Celtics be looking to trade for former Milwaukee Bucks — and for the time being, Portland Trail Blazers — point guard Jrue Holiday? While word quickly surfaced that Portland would look to move Holiday after trading him as part of the package that landed them Damian Lillard on Wednesday, a quick analysis of Boston’s books suggested that dealing for the former Bucks guard would be onerous at best.

This is due to the contracts the Celtics would need to include requiring one of Al Horford or Robert Williams III paired with one of Derrick White or Malcolm Brogdon (or both guards) for the deal to be CBA legal, which would impinge the already thin depth on the team’s frontline or backcourt depending on the construction.

But there may be a way to expand an already-expansive deal further for such a trade to make sense for all parties based on what The Athletic’s Shams Charania was saying on Bally Sports’ “Rally” show after word of the deal broke.

Can the Boston Celtics get involved in a Damian Lillard trade?

At least one oddsmaker listed the Celtics among the favorites to trade for the Portland Trail Blazers star.

Can the Boston Celtics get involved in a Damian Lillard trade? At least one oddsmaker listed the Celtics among the favorites to trade for the Portland Trail Blazers star point guard if the Miami Heat do not manage to put together a sufficient offer for the Blazers to consider.

Before this, there were multiple reports that shared how star Boston forward Jayson Tatum got in Lillard’s ear this summer regarding a potential Celtics team-up, and non-Miami contenders like the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors could also emerge as rivals to deal for the Portland floor general.

CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning recently weighed in on how a Lillard trade could get done for the Celtics without Jaylen Brown — untradable after signing his supermax extension — on the table, and whether or not Boston could join a trade as a facilitator.

Check it out in the clip embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Kaufman: ‘I have heard some whispers’ that the Celtics are still trying to trade Malcolm Brogdon

“I still believe Malcolm Brogdon is maybe not actively being dangled out there by the Celtics, but I think he is absolutely on the trade block,” said Kaufman.

The radio silence from both the Boston Celtics and point guard Malcolm Brogdon‘s camp since the trade that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Clippers collapsed has not done fans of the team any favors, with many left wondering if the ball club will start another season with internal problems to consider. A recent report from the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach threw some water on the rumors, but even the Globe reporter admitted something seems “off” with the situation.

Now, CLNS Media’s Adam Kaufman has put a bit more kindling back under that source of offseason smoke, saying on a recent episode of the “Celtics Beat” podcast that he has “heard some whispers that the Celtics are still trying to trade (Brogdon).”

“I am not saying my reporting is any better than Adam Himmelsbach,” he qualified. “In fact, I will tell you the opposite — it is very much inferior to Adam Himmelsbach’s.”

“However, I had been saying for weeks, for months — ever since this trade fell apart — do not be surprised if the fallout from this situation or potential fallout still leads to Malcolm Brogdon being traded,” he added.

“I still believe that even though we’re sitting here in late September, I still believe Malcolm Brogdon is maybe not actively being dangled out there by the Celtics, but I think he is absolutely on the trade block, I firmly, firmly believe that.”

Whether Boston and Brogdon are quietly looking for a new home for the Virginia alum, in the midst of a rapprochement to heal the wounds opened by the trade attempt, or simply gearing up for a title run, we don’t have long to wait with Media Day arriving on October 2 — exactly a week from today.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Himmelsbach: Radio silence from Malcolm Brogdon’s camp ‘feels slightly off’

As each day passes with Brogdon still away from the team, speculation fueled by the little we know grows on what might be up.

Boston Celtics fans with a hankering to get out ahead of any ill will between Boston and the NBA’s 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon by trading the Virginia alum for Buddy Hield or some other target will be disappointed to hear that this is not an especially likely thing to happen.

At least, not based on what the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach has been hearing. The Globe reporter related on Thursday afternoon that “the Celtics are not considering trading Brogdon any more than they are considering trading any other player.” This does not rule out such a trade, but if Boston were sniffing around any further moves involving the nearly-traded Brogdon, they certainly can’t afford it getting back to him without it being called into the league office.

An understandable fog of sorts has been cast by the Georgia native’s camp since the failed version of the Kristaps Porzingis deal that would have sent Brogdon to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Since, even the best-informed of Boston media members have failed to take the temperature of Brogdon’s feelings towards Boston, with Himmelsbach relating that “Brogdon and his camp have been quiet this summer” at the same time “members of the Celtics front office have mostly avoided or deflected questions” on the topic.

“Something about the situation just feels slightly off,” added Himmelsbach, echoing stronger comments made by his Globe colleague Gary Washburn about the state of Brogdon’s disposition towards the Celtics.

Hopefully, with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburn reporting that whatever is most irking the 2023 Sixth Man “has to do with what’s going on with his elbow” does not turn into something that affects the regular season for Boston or Brogdon.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Ex-NBAer Antonio Daniels on rumors of Malcolm Brogdon being irked with the Boston Celtics

“I’m not saying I have to like it, but it’s it be something I’m at a point now that I should understand,” said Daniels.

News that the NBA’s 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is still irked with the Boston Celtics after an attempt to deal him to the Los Angeles Clippers fell through early in the offseason has got Celtics fans a bit nervous, though not everyone believes his ire is warranted.

Count among that crowd former NBAer Antonio Daniels did not hold back on the topic during a recent appearance on Sirius FM’s “NBA Radio” show, saying that “guys deal with this all the time — you’re here, you’re not here. You’re on the trading block, you’re not on the trading block.”

“I get that,” Daniels continued. “I played on teams camp where a player got traded. He was gone, and then the trade didn’t go through, and he came back the next day. How do you think that feels? It happens — That’s a part of the NBA. If I’m Malcolm Brogdon, I have to understand this.”

“I’m not saying I have to like it, but it’s it be something I’m at a point now that I should understand,” he added. “This is what the NBA is, and it’s amazing how guys struggle with grasping that concept. It’s … the business before anything else and guys struggle so much with that business part.”

“A business part is understanding, ‘Yeah, I do like it here. I love it here, man. It’s a great city. It’s a great situation. The fans have taken to me’, whatever it may be, but also have to understand on the flip side that my situation can change like that. That’s the business side of it.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Is Jayson Tatum still recruiting Damian Lillard to the Boston Celtics?

It’s unclear when this advocacy was actually going down, but it’s something to monitor regardless.

In a recent interview with the Oregonian’s “Sports by Northwest” podcast, Andscape’s Hall of Fame NBA reporter Marc J. Spears related that Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard may have another force pulling him eastward from his current club in the Western Conference.

While Lillard remains focused on trying to get himself to another team ahead of the start of the league’s 2023-24 season in what Spears has called “a calculated risk,” All-NBA Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum “has called him, tried to get in his ear, but his focus is definitely on Miami.”

Spears has reported on Tatum’s push to persuade his former Team USA teammate to join Boston, before the start of the 2023 free agency period.

Whether this is a return to that specific incidence of the St. Louis native attempting to bring Lillard onto what was then a different iteration of the ball club or represents a sustained effort by Tatum to pitch Lillard on the Celtics, any such move would require a substantial offer from Boston to pull off.

With the Blazers star earning $45.6 million this season, an offer built around Malcolm Brogdon or Derrick White plus additional contracts to make the swap CBA legal could conceivably be assembled.

But with Boston unlikely to want the years on Lillard’s current contract and Portland unimpressed by what the Celtics have to offer, we wouldn’t hold our breath on this trade or something like it happening any time soon.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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NBA exec believes OKC Thunder would be in best position to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo

“If Milwaukee decides, OK, we’ve got to move on here, that is the first team you call.”

As the Oklahoma City Thunder’s young core continues to mature, their treasure trove of draft picks proves a valuable commodity for the future. It gives them a chance to land nearly anybody in a trade.

The Thunder enter the 2023-24 season with playoff aspirations after overachieving last season with a 40-42 record. If the Thunder continue to progress with their young core, a contention window will likely start to open.

With so much draft capital, the Thunder could be in every conversation as a potential interested team in the inevitable sweepstakes of the next superstar who requests a trade.

One possibility is two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar recently told the New York Times he wants to continue to compete for championships throughout his career and acknowledged the possibility that might mean eventually moving on to a new team.

As the Bucks’ 2021 championship core continues to age, this doomsday scenario for Milwaukee could quickly materialize. Antetokounmpo is signed through the 2024-25 season.

This means the Bucks have two seasons to persuade Antetokounmpo to either pick up his $51.9 million player option for the 2025-26 season or sign a new extension.

If they fail to do so, an anonymous NBA executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveny the Thunder could be a prime trade partner candidate for the Bucks as they likely would succumb to a rebuild.

“No one would be in better position to go after him than OKC,” the executive said. “Not to say they would, but they’d have to be a starting point. They have the young talent, they have, I think it is nine (first-round) picks in the next three years. If Milwaukee decides, OK, we’ve got to move on here, that is the first team you call. There aren’t many guys who are going to make the Thunder think about a big move, packaging the assets. But Giannis is one, if he’d want to go there.”

While it’s too far in the future to make an educated prediction on how the Antetokounmpo situation plays out in Milwaukee, the Thunder would ideally be a perfect trade partner with their deep bag of future draft picks and intriguing young players.

If the Thunder are at a point where they feel like trading for arguably the best player in the league would skyrocket their title odds, then that is worth what will likely be a hefty haul they have to concede.

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