The Boston Celtics chose not to trade the third overall pick in last week’s NBA Draft, but that does not necessarily mean they are in for a boring offseason.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical is reporting that the Celtics are “pursuing an aggressive summer plan” that involves them signing Gordon Hayward as a free agent and trading for Paul George. According to Wojnarowski, the Celtics must first make sure they have a commitment from Hayward before they clear the necessary salary cap space to acquire George.
One potential issue could be that the official start of free agency is not until July, and the Pacers may be unwilling to wait until then to move George.
Woj goes on to say that signing Blake Griffin and then trading for George is another option for Boston if Hayward chooses to sign a max extension with the Utah Jazz or ink a deal elsewhere. Griffin, of course, would be leaving a lot of money on the table if he chose to bolt Los Angeles.
George has been linked to the Celtics all offseason, and a previous report claimed Boston has one very good reason to give up assets for him in a trade. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has been stockpiling first-round picks for years, and the expectation has been that he will eventually make a big splash or two. Creating a starting lineup of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Al Horford to go along with George and Hayward would certainly qualify.
