Numerous teams have been involved in the Rajon Rondo trade rumor mill including the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings who are expected to pursue the Boston Celtics star point guard before the February trade deadline. Zach Lowe of Grant Land, however, believes that Jeff Green is more likely to get dealt before the deadline than Rondo:
Rondo is a flawed, temperamental player, but he's a pass-first star who could work as bait for an alpha dog. Without him, Boston is just a collection of unmolded pieces waiting for a unifying force, playing the lottery in the meantime.
Green has a player option for 2015-16, meaning he may be working on a de facto expiring contract. His price will come down as the season moves along, but Boston might be willing to accept a diminished return. He's a likable guy with more fans across the league than you might expect, and he can split minutes between the two forward positions.
The first half of last season with the Celtics was a solid outing for Gerald Green overall, but in the second half his defense suddenly wilted and his shooting percentages tumbled per Jay King of Masslive. Amidst the inconsistency though, Lowe still believes that the 28 year old forward would still be "easy to move" if Danny Ainge, the Celtics President of Basketball Operations, wants to.
Low mentioned a group of teams including, New Orleans, Washington, Toronto, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, New York and Denver, who could be interested in a trade deal for Green and pointed out that Green has "more fans across the league than you might expect." And as what we witnessed with Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parson this summer in the free agency, teams will pay top dollar for a versatile wing player who can drive to the rim, shoot the ball, and defend.
For the Celtics who may see Green as an odd fit to their plans for the future, trading him would surely make sense. And with Ainge calling the shots, anything is possible. He will surely be cherry picking for a trade partner but if he sees a team willing to unload some decent value in return for Green, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger on a trade deal.
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