The Boston Celtics lost their star point guard Rajon Rondo for the season, announcing Sunday that Rondo had suffered a torn ACL against the Atlanta Hawks Friday night. (Rondo would play on the torn ligament in a double-overtime loss.)
With the aging 21-23 Celtics clinging to the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, we’ve come to that inevitable point in the year when this question comes up: should the Celtics blow it up and start over? Ken Berger at CBS, suggesting this is the end of an era in Boston, believes Brooklyn could be a suitor for Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett:
Would some big-spending contender — the Nets, perhaps — be willing to go all-in with a two-year rental of Kevin Garnett, whose ferocity and defensive leadership would cost $12.4 million next season plus the $6 million he’ll be guaranteed in 2014-15 at age 38?
It should be made clear that this isn’t a rumor or something sourced from either organization — merely a speculative question. But it’s one worth asking; with the Nets needing frontcourt help, and the Celtics looking at their own mortality once again, would either team pull the trigger?
Though a Garnett-for-Humphries deal works under the CBA, the Celtics wouldn’t part with their All-Star starting center (is there a way to convey sneering in text?) without shedding some additional salary. The Celtics would be glad to get rid of Jeff Green’s four-year, $36 million contract, and likely wouldn’t mind shedding Brandon Bass (3 years, $19.4 million), Jason Terry (3 years, $15.7 million), or ex-Nets guard Courtney Lee (4 years, $21.4 million). Hard to say how the Nets would balance off any of those salaries.
Another blockade: Kevin Garnett’s no-trade clause, one of the few in the league, and one that he’d likely exercise to avoid being traded within the division.
‘Tis the season!
Read More: Ken Berger, CBS Sports — Rondo injury could hasten breakup of the Celtics
