Zeller, Thornton now eligible to be traded

http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/zeller-thornton-now-eligible-be-traded-cs


Zeller, Thornton now eligible to be traded by C's

September 10, 2014, 1:30 pm


A. Sherrod Blakely


BOSTON — Danny Ainge isn't all that different than most GMs when it comes to wanting to have lots of options in pulling off deals.

That's why today is significant for the Celtics' president of basketball operations in his quest to get Boston's roster in order.

Tyler Zeller and Marcus Thornton, both acquired via trade on July 10, are now eligible to be included in trades in which they can be paired with other Celtics players.

The two were acquired on July 10 as part of a three-team deal from Cleveland (Zeller) and Brooklyn (Thornton) with the Celtics using their $10.3 million trade exception acquired when Boston shipped out Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn in 2013, for three future first-round picks as well as Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph (he was immediately waived), MarShon Brooks and Keith Bogans.

The NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement does not allow teams to trade players acquired via exceptions for at least two months following the deal's completion.

However, Zeller is not expected to be on the trading block anytime soon. In fact, he will be the hunt to start at center this season.

Zeller's agent Sam Goldfeder said his client should also benefit from having a familiarity with Celtics head coach Brad Stevens who recruited both of his brothers.

"Coach Stevens is someone the Zeller family thought a great deal about as a man," Goldfeder told CSNNE.com. "Forget about basketball. Everyone knows he's a great basketball coach. But they really liked him as a person. He's a good person and Tyler is also a good person. They share similar values off the court. I think that obviously, Brad expects excellence on the court, discipline, hard work and that's what Tyler is all about."

As for Thornton, he's more likely to be moved at some point prior to the February trade deadline in part because of the team's logjam in the backcourt.

In addition to returning starters Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley in the backcourt and reserve point guard Phil Pressey, the Celtics also drafted a pair of guards in Marcus Smart and James Young.

And the perimeter depth becomes even deeper when you add Chris Johnson and Chris Babb to the mix.

That was among the many reasons why Thornton's camp reached out to the Celtics shortly after the trade was completed to get a better feel for what they had in mind for Thornton.

"Our biggest concern is whether he will get an opportunity to play," his agent Tony Dutt told CSNNE.com. "At the end of the day, he wants an opportunity to showcase his talents. I have been told that he will get that opportunity."
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SideNote: I am getting the feeling that Thornton will resemble a Crawford-like situation; the Celtics will give him a decent run and probably trade him come January, as he is an expiring contract.

I would agree with the article that Zeller is the most logical option at center and probably won't be part of any trades (unless the deal is too sweet to pass up).



KJ