The Celtics would love nothing more than to land Kevin Love somehow, but it’s pretty obvious by now that they’re the longest of long shots in the chase. No matter how highly some of us may value potential trade pieces like Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk, Minnesota just doesn’t see them as the types of players, regardless of the added picks to sweeten the pot, worth receiving as Kevin Love walks out the door.
But Danny Ainge is nothing if not a persistent SOB, and he reportedly is still trying to get involved in a multi-team deal involving Love.
Sources told Sporting News that Philadelphia and Denver, again, are interested in participating in whatever deal happens for Love. Denver has interest in acquiring Love themselves, while the Sixers would like to facilitate a trade by including forward Thaddeus Young.
Boston, another source said, would like to acquire Love, but would be willing to include some part of its trove of draft picks if they would help bring in a player who can contribute immediately.
The Celtics, we know, have plenty to offer in the form of non-guaranteed deals and picks. They can also offer a guy like Jeff Green, potentially, who suddenly isn’t such a bad deal at about $9 million, and who is also probably a pseudo-expiring deal because he’ll probably opt out the final year of his deal… or basically anyone short of Rajon Rondo if it greatly upgraded that position.
We know Love has been Plan A for a while. That never materialized on draft night, and it’s obviously slipped further and further away as July has progressed. Ainge may be resigned to not being the lion going in for the kill, but the vulture picking the carrion clean. Either way, he wants to eat, it’s just a matter of how big a meal he can get this point.
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