NBA Trade Rumors: Updates On Potential Trades For Celtics, Bulls, And Pacers
NBA rumors do not slow down because of the All-Star game. The Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers are the latest teams circling in the NBA rumor mill.
Find out if these teams will be buying or selling at the trade deadline. Read the latest rumors from All-Star weekend below.
Boston Celtics
The Dallas Mavericks Could Trade for Danilo Gallinari #Mavericks #Mavs #NBA https://t.co/Yh7TifNW9Y pic.twitter.com/B88gMv227R
— Mavericks 101 (@Mavericks_101) February 18, 2017
The Boston Celtics could become the latest team trying to trade for Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari, according to the latest rumors from Hoops Rumors.
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald wrote that Boston General Manager Danny Ainge has been a fan of Gallinari. Ainge has tried to deal for Gallinari before.
Still, there has not been any trade rumors connecting Gallinari to the Celtics. The same phenomenon occurred when the Celtics acquired Isaiah Thomas at the 2015 trade deadline.
Otherwise, the Celtics need a scorer and Ainge has been active in talks during the All-Star break. The general manager is willing to trade some of the Celtics’ assets, but it will require obtaining a star.
Not to mention, the Celtics do not want a player who could become a free agent after this season or next season. This is why the Celtics passed on recently traded forward Serge Ibaka. They were afraid that they could not retain Ibaka after his contract expires in the offseason.
Additionally, Bulpett said that the Celtics are protective of their cap space. It would take a star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George to tempt the Celtics at the trade deadline.
Aby Chin of CSN New England said the Boston Celtics would have to make a godfather-like offer to acquire Butler, as shared by Hoops Rumors.
Either way, Philadelphia 76ers bigs Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel were also listed as potential trade targets for the Celtics. However, Boston will not give up as much this year as they would have for either of those players last year.
Plus, the Celtics could obtain Andrew Bogut from the Dallas Mavericks, if the Mavs become sellers at the deadline.
Another Hoops Rumors post cites that the Celtics are unlikely to make a big trade before the deadline, due to lofty in-season price tags.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens also does not anticipate a major change to the roster. He told Kyle Draper of CSN New England that those decisions will be up to Ainge and his staff. Stevens won’t get involved until the discussion gets serious.
Either way, Mike Hamilton of Basketball Insiders writes that the Celtics’ actions at the deadline will reveal their plans for the future. Boston may not want to wait three to four years for their young players and possibly the 2017 lottery pick to develop, per Hoops Rumors.
Chicago Bulls
Speaking of Jimmy Butler, the Bulls forward has been no stranger to NBA Rumors. Besides the Boston Celtics, Butler has been connected to a variety of teams.
Still, the three-time All-Star said he does not know if he deserves to be traded via the NBA All-Star Game media availability, per USA Today. Butler added that he is just here to play basketball to the best of his ability.
Otherwise, the Bulls forward said he can not control the rumors. Therefore, he does not want to worry about it or talk about the trade rumors. Butler did say that Chicago is in the playoffs and they could be a lot better.
Currently, Butler is averaging 24.5 points, five assists, and 6.3 rebounds for the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed.
Indiana Pacers
Last year, #PaulGeorge missed the #NBAAllStar Game scoring record by 1 pt.
This year: "If I get hot early, best believe I'm going for it." pic.twitter.com/WvTLhOu3Xl— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 18, 2017
The Indiana Pacers are another Eastern Conference team looking to add some talent before the NBA trade deadline. The Pacers are a game ahead of the Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, but Indiana could be looking to add some talent at the deadline.
The Pacers are dangling their 2017 first-round pick for the hopes of landing some talent besides star forward Paul George, per CBS Sports.
George has the choice to opt out of his current contract after the 2017-18 season. Therefore, a trade at the deadline could be a part of the long-term strategy to keep George in Indiana.
On Friday, George said he always wants to be a part of a championship team. He said he wants to bring an NBA title to Indiana.
Therefore, a deal could help George agree to a long-term extension after this season.
Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if the Pacers, Boston Celtics, or Chicago Bulls make a trade before the NBA deadline. Either way, we can expect rumors to continue developing through the end of Sunday’s NBA All-Star game.
[Featured Image by David Banks/AP Images]
