Clippers are after Celtics' Kevin Garnett, sources tell Sporting News

Clippers are after Celtics' Kevin Garnett, sources tell Sporting News

Sean Deveney Sporting News Follow on Twitter Archive Email RSS

BOSTON — Multiple sources tell Sporting News the Los Angeles Clippers are making a push to acquire center Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics. Team officials have been talking ahead of Sunday's game in Boston.

Interest in Garnett is seen as proof the Clippers believe they can be a championship contender in the NBA's Western Conference. Questions remain about whether the Celtics are ready to make a major step in rebuilding the franchise. Garnett has a no-trade clause in his contract, and would have to agree to waive it in order to make a deal happen.

Things have not been going well for the Clippers, but for that at least there is a handy excuse — the team has been knocked around by injuries.

Their most notable problem is in the backcourt. However, it appears the team believes that will be fixed when Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford heal.

It is a need for strong frontcourt play that brings the Clippers' interest in Garnett.

The crux of an offer for Garnett, according to sources, would be based around second-year guard Eric Bledsoe and veteran wing Caron Butler.

Celtics officials have made no decisions about the future, even with rookie power forward Jared Sullinger (back surgery) joining point guard Rajon Rondo (knee) last week in seeing their seasons end.

The Celtics came into Sunday's game on a four-game winning streak and will wait until closer to the trade deadline to decide whether to keep this team together. The deadline is 3 p.m. ET Feb. 21.

For now, the Clippers wait on their injured guards. Billups is working his way back from a foot injury. There is no timetable for the return of star point guard Paul from a knee injury. Crawford, the team's sixth man, is wearing an industrial-strength facemask to protect his broken nose.

The Clippers are a battered bunch and losers of five of their previous seven games.

Coach Vinny Del Negro hopes to get Paul and Billups back during the team's eight-game trip, which runs through Feb. 11.

"Right now, it is all about winning games," Del Negro said. "We need to get guys back to win at a higher rate than we are right now, then we were used to at the beginning of the season. It's a long season; you have to manage it the right way. When we think we're getting everyone back, it seems like, so far this year, someone's been injured. You have to manage that. You have to take the highs and the lows."

But still, the Clippers are going for it. And why not? When healthy, they count themselves among NBA title contenders. That's saying something for a franchise that had long been considered not just among the NBA's worst, but in all of sports.

Considering, too, the struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers see this season as a chance to reach at least the Western Conference finals and in doing so to reorder the hoops hierarchy in L.A.

With that in mind, they're making a push to upgrade their lineup before the trade deadline.

If things fall apart in Boston and Celtics president Danny Ainge swings toward making deals designed to rebuild on the fly, trading Garnett would be a key.

Garnett will be a starter in the NBA All-Star Game in two weeks. He also turns 37 this year and has two years left on his contract, calling for $23.5 million in salary. Getting the third year of his bulky deal off the books (Butler has one year remaining after this one) and acquiring a young talent like Bledsoe is a solid way to start rebuilding. But the Celtics are not giving up on this season just yet.

Still, a willingness to take on a salary like Garnett's signals the Clippers' seriousness in seizing a championship opportunity.

Injuries have knocked the Clippers to third in the West, but the team is confident it can compete with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs — if it adds a veteran piece, particularly in the frontcourt.

Center DeAndre Jordan would like to be more involved in the Clippers' offense, but his limited scoring ability makes that difficult, and he is playing 24.2 minutes per game. Garnett would be an upgrade.

The Clippers are also face a critical summer, with Paul heading into free agency. They want Paul to stay long term and one sure way to persuade him to do so is to show him the team can win a championship sooner rather than later.

The opportunity to at least be in the mix is there, and because of that, the Clippers will be active between now and Feb. 21.

112288

Thank god for the porcelain bus.

Sam

KG for BG and JC, it works on trade checker

They can Want all they want. KG is going no where!

What a ridiculous trade rumor. Danny's not an idiot. Now for Blake Griffin and Bledsoe ....

Desperate Times Demand Desperate Measures

These ain't them!!

It is way too early for the Celtics to throw the towel in. I don't think waiting until the trading deadline (Feb 21) will change this. Danny assembled this team with the hope of extending the run with KG and Pierce a couple more years.

Unless we get a big back....like Jordan and get Bledsoe ..........I do not think so!

Did Bledsoe play for the Pat's as quarterback? I did not know he switched sports?

112288

Unless we got MJ in his prime, no trade of KG would be good for the Celts at this time for this season....too much of a break in continuity. KG will retire as a Celtic. Count on it.

I feel the same way Worcester. Think back to the beginning of the summer, is he retiring, is he going to go to another team, is he coming back? All those questions were answered with one statement. I am coming back and I want to retire a Celtic. That's it. NO TRADE CONTRACT. These rumors all drive me nuts,
where are they coming from? Stupid, that's all

Rosalie, I'm with you!

Friends have been talking all day about KG being traded to the Clips. They read it on ESPN so it must be true.

The madness continues.

]b]Several outlets reporting denials of Kevin Garnett trade rumor
[/b]By Jeff Clark on Feb 4, 8:54p
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
For every rumor, there's a denial. Who ya gonna believe?

In the interest of providing balanced reporting, I feel it necessary to point out that there are at least a few news outlets that are refuting the rumors of the Clippers interest in Kevin Garnett. Who you believe is up to you.

A sampling:

With Chris Paul injured and his future with the team uncertain, there's much to consider

In the wake of a Sporting News report indicating that the Clippers contacted Boston about the possibility of acquiring the Celtics forward, the person told USA TODAY Sports that there have been no talks between the two teams. The person requested anonymity because of the private nature of trade discussions.

Clippers not trying to acquire Boston's Kevin Garnett - latimes.com

The Clippers are not pursuing Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett despite what has been reported, according to NBA officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Furthermore, the Clippers’ front office has not had any conversations with Boston’s front office about a rumored deal in which L.A. would use back-up point guard Eric Bledsoe and small forward Caron Butler as the centerpieces to acquire Garnett, said the officials.

Los Angeles Clippers interested in deal for Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett, report says - ESPN Boston

While the Sporting News reported that officials from both teams talked about a deal before the Celtics beat the Clippers 106-104 on Sunday, sources told ESPN's Chris Broussard that no trade talks have taken place between the teams. There are those within the Clippers organization who are intrigued by the idea of adding Garnett and others who don't like it because of the two years and $23.5 million remaining on his contract after this season, sources told ESPN.

Celtics guarded on moves | Boston Herald

A published report about the Clippers’ willingness to trade Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler for Garnett appears even more of a non-starter. Bledsoe has played so well in the absence of Chris Paul — witness his 23-point, 10-assist, seven-rebound performance during yesterday’s 106-104 Celtics win — that the Clippers are far less inclined to deal him now. Butler is also said to be a non-starter in any trade talk. The Clippers are also committed to avoiding the luxury tax — an apparent dead end, considering the $12.5 million Garnett is earning this season.

Rumor season is all about half-truths, heresay, writer interpretation, and boldfaced outright lies (not pointing fingers, sometimes it is the reporters being lied to).

112288