The Celtics are coming off a number one seed this past season and are looking to bolster their roster so that they can compete with the three-time Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Former MVP, Derrick Rose, wants to stay in New York, and Paul George is willing to stay in Indiana another year.
Celtics in pursuit of Hayward and Griffin
Dan Feldman of Yahoo Sports reports that the Celtics are a serious contender to sign Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin this offseason. A front court big man could complement last season's prized piece, Al Horford, and scoring machine, Isaiah Thomas.
The real question is if the players will opt out of their contracts. Both players have a player option they must exercise by July 1. Hayward is rumored to opt out of his contract but is likely to stay in Utah. The Jazz can offer Hayward $180 million compared to Celtics, who can only offer a max of $133 million.
Griffin could be a consolation prize if Hayward were to stay with the Jazz. A frontcourt of Griffin and Horford sounds odd at first, but Griffin has shown how dominant he can be when he is healthy. Do the Celtics want to spend big on a player that hasn't played over 70 games in a season the last five years?
Rose willing to take pay cut to stay with Knicks
Rose is 28 years old, and nowhere near the player he once was, however, is capable of being a starting point guard in this league for years to come.
Ryne Nelson of Slam reports that Rose is willing to take a pay cut to stay with the New York Knicks. Rose made $21.3 million last season.
The Knicks already have an interesting offseason ahead of them. Kristaps Porzingas skipped exit meetings. President Phil Jackson has made public comments that he wants to trade Carmelo Anthony.
Then, there's the uncertainty of any premier free agents coming to New York. Even if Rose wanted to stay in New York, a bright future does not look good in the big apple.
George says he expects to play out his contract
George made comments to the media stating that he will play out his last year of his contract in an Indiana uniform.
Nate Taylor of the Indy Star quoted George saying: “I’m under contract as a Pacer.” He added “That’s all that needs to really be known. I’m here. I’m a Pacer. Everything else is, again, what I’ve been dealing with. Stories, guys talking, teams talking. I’m a Pacer. There’s no way around that. This is my team, my group, and this is where I’m at."
George is in the last year of his contract and has been linked to teams such as the Lakers and Cavaliers via trade. George said the right things in his statement. He is, in fact, under contract as a Pacer but does he really want to stay in Indiana after this year. The Pacers made the playoffs as a seven seed this past season, and do not have a lot of superstar power. George will surely be under trade rumors again this summer as the Cavaliers have been his strongest suitor.
