The Boston Celtics head into the offseason with plenty of assets, namely the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft and more cap space than anyone else in the league. As a result, there are plenty of rumors swirling about what Boston plans to do. Here's all the latest Celtics buzz you need to know:
Celtics "aggressively shopping" No. 3 pick in draft
Boston hasn't been shy about their desire to add a superstar or impact player to their current group, and they are determined to use the No. 3 pick in the draft to do just that, according to CSN New England's A. Sherrod Blakely:
"[I'm] hearing that No. 3 pick overall is the one that they are really shopping," he said. "They are trying to be as aggressive as possible in trying to move that pick, because they want to get a difference-making, impact player right now. And they believe using that No. 3 pick, and maybe some other players and/or picks, might be the best way to [make] that happen.
"[They're targeting] the guys that they want are the guys that everybody wants. We're talking about [Kevin] Durant, we're talking about Jimmy Butler, those type of players. And those guys are going to be at the top of their wish list until those guys say, 'We don't want to come to Boston.'"
Boston impressed by Buddy Hield
The Celtics have been quiet about which prospects they have if they end up keeping the No. 3 pick, but another name has drawn serious consideration. After being linked to Washington's Marquese Chriss for the past few weeks, Oklahoma's Buddy Hield impressed them with is workout today, and they could be favoring him now.
Boston Celtics worked out both Buddy Hield and also Marquese Chriss today in California, source told ESPN. Both Rob Pelinka clients.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) June 13, 2016
Jamal Murray hit 79 of 100 3’s in Boston last week. Buddy Hield, per source, hit 85 of 100 in front of Celtics brass today in California.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) June 13, 2016
Hield averaged 25.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season.
Celtics to trade for Barnes?
The Warriors have said that they plan to match any offer Harrison Barnes receives in free agency this summer (he's a restricted free agent), but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be on their roster next season. According to the Sporting News, the Warriors would be willing to do a sign-and-trade, and the Celtics are one of the teams interested in acquiring him:
The one possible scenario in which Barnes leaves, the source said, would be if he approached the Warriors front office with a request to be elsewhere. If Barnes determines he would like to have a chance to be a more featured part of an offense, the Warriors would likely honor that — especially if a sign-and-trade deal could be worked out. A deal involving fellow free agent Nicolas Batum of the Hornets (Barnes played college basketball at North Carolina) has been rumored, but of course nothing along those lines has actually been discussed.
Several teams with significant cap space this summer — the Celtics, Lakers, Suns, Mavericks among them — have the intention of pursuing Barnes, especially as a fallback option for Durant.
Barnes averaged 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season.
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