NBA Rumors: Celtics Want Jimmy Butler Or Paul George, Team Does Not Want Carmelo
Carmelo Anthony has been in the rumor mills quite a lot these days. The talented small forward is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history and will definitely give a team a big boost if he was on their roster. However, some reports are suggesting that Carmelo has been rejected by two of the three teams he wants to go to.
Trading Carmelo Anthony is a bit of tricky business for the Knicks. According to Sporting News, Carmelo Anthony is only willing to waive his no trade cause for three teams. The first is with his friend, Lebron James, for the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, The Cavs have already turned down a Kevin Love for Carmelo Anthony trade. The next is the Clippers who will have to gut their bench in order to get Carmelo. Lastly, there is the Boston Celtics, who have enough assets, and probably has the most feasible deal to get Carmelo Anthony.
However, a report by CBS Sports might just force the Knicks to keep Carmelo for a little while longer. The report says that the Boston Celtics have already moved on from Carmelo Anthony and are going to start trade talks with two other eastern conference teams for the availability of other potential stars.
The first one that the Boston Celtics are inquiring for is Jimmy Butler. The shooting guard has been linked with the Celtics for quite a while now and it seems like Boston is ready to start taking talks seriously. The Celtics would have to give up the future for Butler by offering the Bulls a lot of picks and some young stars on their roster. However, the Boston Celtics are already on the cusp of a finals trip as they are currently number two in the east. Butler might be that missing piece that leads them back to the promised land.
The Boston Celtics’ success lies on their great offense. However, the Celtics are pretty much in the middle when it comes to defense. Jimmy Butler’s amazing on-ball defense will be a great help for the Celtics when they have to face an offensive juggernaut like the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Butler’s ability to drive to the hoop will also pair well with Celtics’ star Isaiah Thomas. Butler can share offensive duties with Horford and Thomas. Butler is also a capable outside shooter, so he can space the floor quite well for the Boston Celtics.
But this trade will all depend on how the Chicago Bulls feel about Butler. It is quite surprising for the young star to be mired in trade rumors for some time now. However, sources are pointing out that the Chicago Bulls office and Jimmy Butler are not seeing eye to eye for some time now. This could be the best chance for the Boston Celtics to take the eastern crown from the Cavs.
Elsewhere, a less feasible trade scenario is being sought after by the Celtics. This time involving the Indiana Pacers and their superstar Paul George. This one would be huge if the Celtics manage to pull it off. Isaiah Thomas and Paul George will be an explosive combo as George can thrive both on isolation plays and outside scoring. Paul George will give the Celtics another scoring punch which will definitely give the Cavs headaches come playoff time.
George is also a good defender and can add rebounds to a Celtics team that lacks it. However, it is worth noting that Indiana has already stated that they are not open to trading Paul George. It would be interesting to see how far the Boston Celtics could go with these talks.
The Celtics have little interest in Carmelo Anthony. Most likely because there are more attractive options out there for the team. While Carmelo is a great scorer, his lack of defensive intensity will further hurt the Celtics. Carmelo commands the ball too much, and he may not mesh well with the Celtic’s budding playmaker, Isaiah Thomas.
[Featured Image by Nam Y. Huh/AP Images]
