Boston Celtics Trade Rumors: What Did Team Do Wrong In Negotiations With Indiana Pacers?


Boston Celtics trade rumors have included Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Paul George for more than a year. The Celtics and team president Danny Ainge seemed intent on acquiring George and quite a few trade negotiations took place with the Pacers. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, June 30, putting an end to this particular pursuit of another big-name player for the Celtics.

A report by ESPN just came out, showing what the Celtics offered to acquire George. These Boston Celtics trade rumors indicate that Danny Ainge offered the Indiana Pacers three future first-round picks (not the Brooklyn Nets pick next year or the L.A. Lakers/Sacramento Kings pick) and two starters (Jae Crowder being one). That might have been considered a lowball effort, especially with the number of top-tier assets the Celtics had at their disposal.

What it means, though, is that the Celtics just missed out on another big name player that the team has been pursuing a while. Danny Ainge also wanted Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls, but he ended up getting traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a group of players and picks. The Bulls may have wanted to make sure that Butler stayed out of the Eastern Conference, at least for the next NBA season.

Despite all of the latest Boston Celtics trade rumors leading to negative results for the team, the team still has the No. 3 pick from the 2017 NBA Draft and a roster that posted one of the best records in the Eastern Conference last year. That’s a good place to start as the NBA offseason continues, especially with players like Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gay, and Paul Millsap still available on the open market.

The Paul George news coming on the heels of Blake Griffin deciding to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers could be hard for fans to take though. It means there are fewer “flashy” players that could shift teams, but it could also return the Celtics to trade negotiations with the New York Knicks about Carmelo Anthony. Could that be exactly what the Knicks wanted to hear this offseason?

Most NBA analysts had been predicting that this offseason would be when the Celtics finally landed an All-Star player to help lead the team deep into the playoffs. Is Jayson Tatum going to have to be that player now? Will the Celtics instead have to overpay to get another difference-maker on the roster? The Boston Celtics trade rumors aren’t going to end, but the Paul George chapter is officially closed.

[Featured Image Tim Bradbury/Getty Images]

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