NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: Teams Still Working Out Green Trade
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated27 Oct 2023
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The Memphis Grizzlies, on the brink of strengthening themselves for a deep run into the Western Conference playoffs, are working to finalize a three-team deal to acquire Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Memphis, Boston and New Orleans are in the advanced stages of a deal framework that would send the Grizzlies’ Tayshaun Prince, New Orleans’ John Salmons and a future Memphis first-round pick to the Celtics, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Memphis would send forward Quincy Pondexter to the Pelicans and New Orleans would send Russ Smith to the Grizzlies in the proposed deal, sources said.
The Boston Celtics are continuing their rebuild, adding Jeff Green to the list of veterans they’ve traded away (which already includes Rajon Rondo and Brandan Wright).
Green to the Memphis Grizzlies seems inevitable at this point; it’s just a matter of figuring out the other moving pieces.
The Celtics and Grizzlies could complete the deal, which will also included Tayshaun Prince and a first-round pick, straight up if they wanted too. However, they would rather find a third team to facilitate the trade and the New Orleans Pelicans seem like the most likely partner. If the Pelicans are added, Quincy Pondexter and Russ Smith would be added to the deal.
Talks will continue through the weekend and then a completed trade is expected to be finalized on Monday (assuming all goes as planned).
This is a huge move for Memphis, since they’re adding a very talented two-way forward to an already elite Western Conference core. Green has a player option after this season, so it’s possible that this move could just be a rental and Green leaves as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Phoenix Suns have reached agreement on a trade to acquire Boston Celtics forward Brandan Wright, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Suns will send the Celtics the 2015 first-round draft pick they own from the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told Yahoo.
The pick is protected from Nos. 1-12 in the 2015 and ’16 drafts. If the Timberwolves hold onto it through both drafts, they will then instead send their 2016 and ’17 second-round picks.
It’s rare to see a team trade away two key pieces in one day, but that just shows you where the Boston Celtics are at as a franchise right now. They are moving off any and all attractive assets in order to stockpile draft picks and young prospects.
This move was brushed over since the Jeff Green talks surfaced right after this trade was completed, but this is a great deal for both sides.
The Phoenix Suns get an efficient, two-way big man who can help bolster their roster as they prepare for a playoff push in the brutally competitive Western Conference.
Meanwhile, Boston gets another first-round pick, which is top-12 protected in 2015 and 2016. The Celtics could have as many as 11 first-round picks in the next four NBA drafts (and they could continue to add to that haul). This obviously makes them a very interesting up-and-coming team, and it gives Danny Ainge plenty of assets to work with in trade negotiations.
Wright was acquired by the Celtics in December as part of the Rajon Rondo blockbuster deal. Shortly after that trade, Boston was making it known that they’d be willing to flip Wright and that’s exactly what they did on Friday.
Hearing Knicks have Lou Amundson in their sights for a 10-day deal after New York traded for the vet forward and then waived him this week
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 10, 2015
Following that tweet, Marc Stein added that the 10-day contract for Lou Amundson would likely be finalized as early as Saturday.
Remember, Amundson’s non-guaranteed deal was acquired by the Knicks in the three-team trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. New York chose to waive Amundson, Lance Thomas and Alex Kirk shortly after the deal was finalized (so that their contracts wouldn’t become fully guaranteed for the remainder of the season).
Now, by bringing back Amundson on a 10-day deal, they can get a closer look at him without the year-long commitment.
They will do the same with Lance Thomas, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. It remains to be seen if Kirk will get a similar contract.
