Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump

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.

Yahoo!: Grizzlies near trade to acquire Jeff Green

The Celtics and Grizzlies were about ready to wrap up a trade that would send Green to the Grizzlies for Tayshaun Prince and a first-round pick, but, according to a source close to the situation, the fact the teams didn’t get things worked out by the close of business yesterday means they won’t be able to finalize anything until Monday. And because of that, word is the Celts will remain open to offers from other clubs.

Herald: Jeff Green’s uneasy stay looks like it’s over

This is a very fitting end to the Jeff Green era in Boston. Nothing was ever easy with Green. His arrival came at the expense of one of Boston’s most popular players at the time, Kendrick Perkins, and it only materialized because Marquis Daniels, the only backup to Paul Pierce at the time, had suffered a serious, season-ending injury. His re-signing took a horrible turn when a defect was found in his heart, and the second attempt at re-signing him at basically the same money came because the Celtics essentially had no other options. And now his departure is delayed by the fact that the NBA apparently takes weekends off, and can’t process trade paperwork for two days.

And to top it all off… he essentially gets traded on January 9th… the three-year anniversary of his heart surgery.

It’s all part of the Jeff Green roller coaster ride that will seemingly come to an end with him going to Memphis… unless some other suitor comes in and sweetens the deal somehow in the next 48 hours.

It’s especially ironic that it’s Memphis that is making the move for Green since it was VP of Basketball Operations John Hollinger who,when he was at ESPN, wrote of Green’s pre-heart surgery extension:

Re-signed Jeff Green for four years, $36 million: Can they amnesty Green yet, or do they have to wait until the games start? Maybe the Celtics are just trying to keep us on our toes and prove they’re capable of screwing up, too. Here’s what we know: Green was a fungible player before he missed last season with a heart problem; guaranteeing him four years (with a player option on the fourth!) at a rate far beyond any rational market level is something we might expect from a couple of the league’s bumbling organizations, but certainly not this one.

I can’t stress this enough: Green is 26 and played four full seasons in the league, and after all that time there’s no evidence he’s actually any good and considerable evidence that he’s a health risk. Yet he’s being paid like a second-tier star. This was, without a doubt, the worst contract of the summer.

That’s going to be a fun handshake at the airport, isn’t it?

It’s not like the sentiment got better over the years. This is from the Herald link above:

“He’s good enough to make you want to count on him,” said one of Green’s former assistant coaches. “Then he’ll kill you if you do.”

Ouch.

I mean. OUCH.

Sadly, that sums it up for Green. The man can flat-out score if he’s on. But like fumbling around for a light switch in a strange, dark room, it’s anyone’s guess when Green will actually be “on.”

We all know at this point what Green is, and I’m not here to piss on his Celtics’ grave. None of this was ever really Jeff Green’s fault. He never said “hey everyone, you can count on me!” and then let us down. People just sort of started counting on him because there was no one else to count on to do what he did. He was our would-be hero by default, and I don’t think he ever wanted to be that.

What I do think Jeff Green wants to be is a good basketball player who comes to work, tries to do his best, and goes home knowing he really tried to help his team. He’s had a few soul-searching post-game drives where he beat himself up for some bad performances. He’s probably carried bad possessions or even games with him longer than he should. But in the end, Green is a good guy who, I think, genuinely wanted to do well and help his team.

So now he’s (probably) going to Memphis, where he may slide into a more proper Jeff Green role. With many more scoring options and a successful system in place, Green can simply take whatever offense comes his way and execute without worrying that he missed a shot or two because Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Zach Randolph are there to do most of the scoring. Green is there to help relieve pressure, not take over in spots where he’s not comfortable.

Plus, with all those other options on the floor, Green’s not going to be facing the same defensive sets. Teams have to worry about options that didn’t exist during his time in Boston, freeing up that sliver of space that could put him on the SportsCenter Top 10 on a regular basis.

And then we’ll sit here saying to ourselves “there goes another guy flourishing after being traded away from Boston… WTF is going on here?”

Ultimately, this is a good move for everyone all around. The Celtics, with Salmons inclusion, will actually clear an extra half million dollars in cap space this year. Plus they get to add to their stockpile of picks, which HAS to get them something good at some point.

And, maybe most importantly, we might actually start to see James Young get some NBA playing time so we can figure out how much of his scoring outbursts are real, and how much work he really needs to do.

So good luck, Jeff Green. I really do hope you do well in Memphis and get that big payday you’re hoping for. I think we all knew your time in Boston was done one way or another. I know you didn’t want to know how watching your own tribute video feels, but, we’ve all had to experience things in life we didn’t want to experience, so we’ll see you on Wednesday, March 11 when you come back to Boston.

Page 2: So what’s next?

The Celtics still have a couple veterans on the roster in Brandon Bass and Marcus Thornton who (1) own expiring contracts, (2) don’t have a future with the team, and (3) could help a contender. If Boston can move those players for additional future assets (and without having to take back long-term contracts), then Boston would be content to make even more moves.

The team has a couple other veterans, like recently acquired Jameer Nelson and soon with the arrival of Prince, who could be buyout candidates depending on whether the team simply desires to carry their bloated contracts through the end of the season without the promise of playing time that’s better served for younger players.

ESPN Boston: Trade reset: picking their path

One way or another, the Celtics will be under the salary cap very soon. Deals for Bass and/or Thornton could add to the stockpile of picks and bring back even more guys who can get bought out. This is what it is… a Celtics clearance sale with all inventory priced to move.

The Green deal will push the roster back up to 15. Buying out Prince makes sense because if they can pay him even half of his salary to go away, that’s money saved. The same can go for players acquired in a Bass or Thornton deal… which could theoretically save the Celtics more than $10 million in actual salary paid.

Wyc Grousbeck and company must be thrilled that millions of dollars they could have paid out will stay in their pockets.

Trading for, and subsequently buying out players will also free up roster spots. If three spots open up, then the Celtics can start handing out 10-day deals to guys and start testing out some young D-League talent… or guys who have been playing well overseas.

Bottom line: If you think Danny Ainge is done dealing, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

And Finally…

Trevor Booker hits one of the craziest shots you’ll ever see

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCIAgDLRDgY]

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Your Morning Dump… Where the Jeff Green deal isn’t quite done yet

Alan Draper

Page 2: So what’s next?

And Finally…

Alan Draper

Alan Draper