The Boston Celtics and their NBA trade rumors have begun to heat up and make a lot of sense as the trade deadline continues to get closer and closer to expiring. Teams like the Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks all need to decide who is best for the future and for the present day, because only one of those teams will be making any noise in the playoffs this year.
That brings us to the Celtics and one of the possible NBA trade rumors actually working out with Boston making a trade for George to boost up their roster to compete for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Even with the current NBA trade rumors swirling, the Celtics are still in second place in the Eastern Conference entering Friday night with a 34-19 record, just two wins back of the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 36-16.
The Celtics have three more wins than the third-place Washington Wizards, and both the Wizards and Cavaliers also have NBA trade rumors swirling all around their respective franchises as well. But this is about the Celtics and a possible trade with the Indiana Pacers for small forward Paul George. First off, George won’t be a cheap trade for the Celtics , as he’s averaging 22.5 ppg with 6.2 rpg in 45 games played.
As the trade rumors pick up steam, remember the Celtics have three small forwards on their roster in Jaylen Brown, Jae Crowder, and Gerald Green, all of whom have their positives, but don’t come close to impacting an NBA game like George does. Crowder is the best of the three current Celtics small forwards with 14.0 ppg in 32 minutes per game on the court. But George could really make the Celtics a challenger to the Cavs once the postseason arrives, and that is what should be on Boston’s mind when deciding to make a trade. NESN even wrote about the NBA trade rumors involving the Celtics, as Nicholas Goss reported on the potential NBA trade :
“George is an interesting name for the Celtics. He’s a legit superstar and a great scorer who can take over games.”
Although the Celtics are also involved with NBA trade rumors involving Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls, the addition of George does make this team very dangerous, and imagine how helpful George’s addition to the starting lineup would be for Isaiah Thomas. The point guard Thomas is already an assist machine with a nearly seven per game average, and at nearly 30 ppg, he’s having a very special season.
Paul George said he wanted a piece of LeBron and the Cavs. And he got one last night https://t.co/nSEmebn9MU
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) February 9, 2017
Adding George to their roster in some sort of trade might take away some scoring away from Thomas, but he’d be able to dish out even more assists and become an even more dominant NBA player than what he’s become as of late.
Since the Celtics are chasing the Cavs in the Eastern Conference standings, a look at George against that franchise in a recent Feb. 8 game shows even with all the trade rumors surrounding his name, he can put those on the back-burner and still play at a high level. When playing the Cavs earlier in February, George scored 22 points in 38 minutes, while also having eight rebounds and six assists.
A lot of teams could use a player like George in their pursuit of the ultimate NBA prize, and until some sort of deal is made, the NBA trade rumors involving the Celtics and George will continue to be louder and make more sense for both parties.
Let’s face it, the Eastern Conference is the Cavaliers’ to lose, but for the Celtics to challenge for that top spot, a trade rumor like the one involving George or even Butler will have to come true. If not, this will still be a winning season for the Celtics, but possibly not as successful it can be.
[Featured Image by Dan Mullan/Getty Images]
