Boston Celtics Trade Rumors: OKC Agrees To Send Perry Jones III In Trade To Shed Salary
Boston Celtics trade rumors reveal a deal in place for Perry Jones III of the Oklahoma City Thunder. A report from Steve Bulpett at the Boston Herald indicates that the Celtics will trade a protected future second-round pick for Jones. It appears to be a deal for OKC to shed some salary, as it needs to move away from some of the luxury tax penalties that will come with the 2015-16 NBA season. The Celtics also acquire a future second-round pick and cash as part of the deal.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, OKC decided to match the offer that the Portland Trail Blazers offered restricted free agent Enes Kanter. The Thunder will pay Kanter about $17.5 million over the next four years, and that deal brought the guaranteed salaries for next season close to $100 million in total. It’s not surprising at all that a deal was made, but interesting that OKC doesn’t get much in return. Jones is slated to make just over $2 million for the upcoming NBA season.
These Boston Celtics trade rumors appear to be really good for Danny Ainge, as he acquires a decent role player that can come off the bench next year. Giving up just a second-round pick to make it work could end up making Ainge look like a genius if Perry Jones III finds a lot of success in Boston. Though he hasn’t seen a lot of minutes with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jones is a former first-round pick and is still just 23-years-old.
A versatile forward with a lot of size (he is 6’11”), Jones can provide a lot of energy off the bench for the Celtics. He also won’t have a lot of pressure to perform right away, especially with the depth that the Celtics are starting to have on the 15-man roster. While his career averages are pretty low, it goes back to the limited minutes and a lack of getting real playing time behind players like Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. In Boston, he might just get a chance to put up 15-20 minutes a night, and possibly more than that if he starts to show the talent he had in college.
While this isn’t going to be a deal that many fans claim will put the team over the top, Danny Ainge just made another smart player acquisition during the NBA offseason. These Boston Celtics trade rumors continue to show that the team is trying to build back up through youth, and the Oklahoma City Thunder just helped out in a big way. Fans should watch some highlights of Perry Jones III in OKC, because he might be a diamond in the rough.
[Image Source: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images]
