NBA Trade Deadline Live Blog: Pierce And Garnett Stay Put
BOSTON (CBS) - It's deadline day in the NBA, and CBSBostonsports.com will have all your updates before and after the 3 p.m. trade deadline.
3:05 p.m.: The 2012-13 NBA Trade deadline has come and gone, and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are still members of the Boston Celtics.
It's unlikely it's from a lack of trying by Celtics president of basketball ops Danny Ainge, but rather no one offered him the bounty he was looking for. Both Garnett (who you may have heard has a no-trade clause) and Pierce were rumored in deals, but in the end the return for Boston wasn't enough for Ainge to push down the detonator and blow up the Celtics.
That's if those rumors were even true, and we probably won't find out about that until after the season.
The Celtics did make a minor move, picking up guard Jordan Crawford from the Washington Wizards for injured guard Leandro Barbosa. Crawford had fallen out of favor in Washington and found his way to the bench the last two weeks, but it was a low-risk move that could give the Celtics another scorer off the bench.
Just one minor update: The Celtics will also send center Jason Collins to the Wizards for Jordan Crawford.
That means rookie Fab Melo, who was rumored to be in the Crawford swap, will likely get some more minutes down the stretch. Not so sure how to react to that part of the equation....
3:00 p.m.: The deadline is here, and it doesn't look like Josh Smith is heading to Milwaukee. But sharpshooter JJ Redick is according to Adrian Wojnarowski:
Some more deals could trickle in over the next 15-20 minutes, so stay tuned for any last second updates.
2:57 p.m.: Unless you like trades for backup point guards, this trade deadline isn't for you:
The Milwaukee Bucks are still reportedly working on a deal for Atlanta's Josh Smith, so that could be the big blockbuster of the day. We'll know in the next few minutes...
2:33 p.m.: All is quiet on the Celtics front with the deadline less than half-an-hour away.
It looks like teams are working on deals for Atlanta's Josh Smith and Orlando's JJ Redick rather than focusing on the Celtics veterans.
1:53 p.m.: The Celtics have reportedly landed guard Jordan Crawford from the Washington Wizards, according to TNT's David Aldridge.
The C's are reportedly sending injured guard Leandro Barbosa to Washington.
The trade gives Boston some more scoring off the bench, as Crawford is averaging 13.2 points and shooting 43-percent in 43 games (including 12 starts) this season.
It's not the major trade everyone was looking for, but a nice little pickup for the Celtics.
More to come as the deadline is just an hour away...
1:26 p.m.: We have some more rumblings on the Jordan Crawford front, thanks to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski:
USA Today's Sam Amaker added that the Dallas Mavericks are also in the hunt for Crawford.
Bringing Crawford to Boston for Melo would be a good move for the Celtics, turning a project for the future into some solid bench scoring. Crawford is a very raw player, but can put up points in bunches.
1:23 p.m: Celtics fans are keeping their eyes on the Clippers today, but TNT's David Aldrige reports they are unlikely to pull off any big trades.
Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles also chimed in, adding what we already knew: Garnett probably wouldn't waive his no-trade clause anyways.
CBS Sports' Ken Berger added that there has been no new push by the Clippers for Garnett.
So, for now, it looks like the Celtics will remain fairly intact. There is still a chance they add a player or two for depth, but the likelihood of Ainge blowing the team up and beginning the rebuilding process is looking slim.
But as we keep saying, you never know until 3 p.m. comes....
1:00 p.m.: With two hours left until the deadline, it doesn't look like much will go down -- at least not right now.
SI's Chris Mannix just joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak, and didn't have many deals to talk about.
"I think there's going to be more smoke than fire at this point," said Mannix. "As far as I can tell, there are not many big moves out there."
Listen To Mannix On Gresh & Zo:
Gresh & Zo: Chris Mannix Joined The Show To Talk NBA Trade Deadline
He noted that Atlanta's Josh Smith and Orlando's JJ Redick will likely be dealt, but as he Tweeted earlier, Danny Ainge's high asking price for Paul Pierce will likely mean the Celtics' captain will remain in green for the rest of the season.
"I know he's had contact with a few teams, but Ainge is not just looking to give away Pierce," said Mannix. "He is looking for talent. He wants expiring contracts, young assets, and if not one draft pick then two."
Mannix said the Celtics were the ones who initiated the talks with the Clippers for a potential Garnett swap, but it was more of just seeing what they could get.
"He's floating (Pierce and Garnett) to see what he can get, and if the deal is overwhelming he'll pull the trigger. But he's not getting the big-time offers for Pierce and Garnett," he noted.
We'll find out if those deals ever make their way to Ainge's desk in the next couple of hours.
Gallery: Ainge's Trades
12:17 p.m.: SI's Chris Mannix, who will join 98.5 at 12:45 p.m., just passed along this little tidbit about the Celtics and Paul Pierce:
You can't fault Danny for his high asking price for Pierce, and if teams are desperate enough at 2:55 p.m. they may just give in.
Wojnarowski and USA Today's Sam Amick also passed along this update on the Brooklyn Nets front:
12:05 p.m.: Though the Clippers said they wouldn't get re-involved in any Kevin Garnett trade talk unless Chris Paul said so, they may be gearing up to make another push, according to the Herald's Steve Bulpett:
Bulpett noted in a later tweet the Clippers are split on sending young players to Boston for Garnett. It's obvious Ainge is open for business when it comes to sending away his veterans, but he wants to make sure he gets some value in return.
But none of it matters if Garnett doesn't waive his no-trade clause, and he's been fairly adamant he wants to stay in Boston. Anything that happens with Garnett will likely happen at 3 p.m. or shortly after, so stay tuned.
12:01 p.m.: Just as soon as we post the Evans rumor, it gets shot down.
11:32 a.m.: According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Celtics are looking at a potential deal for Sacramento's Tyreke Evans.
The 23-year-old Evans -- who was selected fourth overall by the Kings in 2009 -- is averaging 15.4 points and 3.1 assists over 39 games played this season. He battled injuries earlier in the season, but has played well as of late. He has three-straight 20-point games to his name, and if the Celtics want a young guard he's not a terrible option.
Not to mention, it seems like the Kings are pretty much giving players away -- especially high draft picks -- for next to nothing as the deadline approaches.
Evans has a qualifying offer for next season that would pay him nearly $7-million for 2013-14.
10:23 a.m.: The first Celtics rumor of Thursday has hit the Twitterverse, and it comes from none-other than ESPN's Chris Broussard.
Broussard notes that the Celtics are using Fab Melo to find some perimeter scoring, and Wizards' guard Jordan Crawford is on their radar. Wojnarowski first reported on Wednesday that Melo was being made available by Boston.
Crawford is in his third year out of Xavier, averaging 13.2 points and shooting 43-percent in 43 games (including 12 starts) this season. He's probably best known for a dunk on LeBron James that Nike didn't want anyone to see back in 2009. If the Celtics have soured on Melo, who they took 22nd overall in last year's draft, a guy like Crawford could help them with some scoring off the bench.
Injured guard Leandro Barbosa would reportedly be in a potential deal for Crawford as well, which would save them roughly $1 million and get them closer to the luxury tax threshold.
10:00 a.m.: The Boston Celtics have been mentioned in plenty of rumors over the last month with most of them involving veterans Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The latest has the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets talking about a deal for Pierce, with the Celtics receiving forward Kris Humphries, guard MarShon Brooks and a first-round draft pick for their captain -- according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. But, that isn't enough for the Celtics to send Pierce to their division rival, and the Nets don't sound too enthusiastic about adding anything extra to their offer.
It's not a terrible deal for Pierce, but you can't fault Danny Ainge for holding out for even more from the Nets. If they are desperate enough (they reportedly wanted Pierce at last year's deadline as well, but Ainge held on for one more run), they may just toss in another player or pick that Ainge reportedly wants.
So for now, we wait. No one knows for sure what Danny will do on this deadline day, as is usually the case when it comes to the man in charge in Boston. There's no doubt he would like start the rebuilding process, but it will come down to if he gets enough in return -- which sounds like it might not be possible at this point. Trading Garnett and Pierce, and getting proper compensation in his mind, may be too complicated to pull off with just five hours left to iron out all the details (not to mentioned convincing Garnett to waive his no-trade clause).
But again, we just never know with the Celtics. While Pierce and Garnett have dominated the rumors, it could be players we haven't heard much about -- though that list isn't too long -- that find themselves on the move (guys like Jeff Green and Brandon Bass). Remember how silent things were two years ago when Kendrick Perkins was suddenly a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder just a few seconds prior the deadline?
Report: Rondo Off The Block
There was one move Tuesday night, with the Sacramento Kings reportedly sending last year's fifth overall pick Thomas Robinson (along with Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt) in exchange for Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas -- according to Wojnarowski (get ready to hear his name more than any Celtic today).
The Rockets are also reportedly sending Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns for a second round pick, where he'll be reunited with his twin brother, Markieff. The Morris brothers played together for three years at Kansas from 2008-2011.
Wednesday afternoon could be a whirlwind for the Boston Celtics, and NBA in general, or it could be another deadline that comes and goes without a whisper. We'll be here to sort it all out for you, so check back for all the details throughout the day.
