Mannix: 'Short Conversation' Between Celtics-Rockets About Dwight Howard
BOSTON (CBS) -- Rumors are starting to surface as the NBA trade deadline is just two weeks away, with one involving the Boston Celtics dominating the headlines on Wednesday.
The hot rumor was the Celtics and Rockets had talked about a swap for eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard. While the two teams have spoken about a potential deal, Chris Mannix of CSNNE and Sports Illustrated told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich it was a brief conversation.
"There is validity to the fact that there have been conversations between Houston and Boston. They originated with the Rockets, as sort of a temperature-taking of Danny [Ainge] and what he would give up for Dwight, but the price right now is way too high," Mannix told T&R on Thursday. "From everything I was told, it was a short conversation."
Mannix said former Rockets head coach Kevin McHale (fired by Houston at the beginning of the season) enjoyed coaching Howard, and as a former teammate of Ainge his opinion carries a lot of weight with Boston's president of basketball operations. But the asking price for Howard is way too high for Boston's taste at the moment, so the chat was a non-starter.
"One thing Danny has to look at is he is in a position where he has to recruit free agents to Boston. He had guys that players want to play with -- you want to play with Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, and Jae Crowder is as valuable to Boston as anyone on the team," added Mannix. "Howard, I don't know if he helps recruiting free agents."
The Celtics have won seven of their last eight and are currently tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. They have plenty of assets to pull off a big trade at the deadline if they want to, with Brooklyn's likely Top 3-5 pick in the upcoming draft the biggest of them all, but Mannix said Ainge should be "cautiously aggressive" as the February 18 deadline approaches.
"They've been able to take advantage of the desperation of others. If you look at Brooklyn, they were desperate to make a deal to get big name players on that roster and Danny fleeced them," he said of the deal that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn for a collection of future picks. "If you look at Dallas, they needed Rajon Rondo and needed what they felt was an elite PG to maximize the final years of Dirk Nowitzki and Boston got the great end of that deal. Even the Isaiah Thomas deal, taking advantage of Phoenix because they were in flux with what Goran Dragic did at the deadline, [Ainge] was able to get an All-Star point guard for a relativity low price.
"Wait and see if a team gets desperate and then take advantage of them," said Mannix, who said Ainge needs to hold on to that Brooklyn pick at all costs.
"He's going to have a Top 5 pick and there's going to be a franchise player on the board. He has to get the right guy. If he gets the right guy, within two years you're talking about a young, sustainable Boston team that can position itself as a title contender for the next five years. If you whiff, then you have a whole new set of problems," said Mannix.
Mannix also touched on other trade rumors around the NBA: