RealGM source: "Love deal to Boston pretty much done"

[j804]

It?s been no secret that the Celtics are among several teams that are eyeing Minnesota star forward Kevin Love, and the Internet and social media sites were agog over the weekend when Love himself showed up in Boston supposedly ?to check out the city and see what it?s like.?

Unless Love does the same thing with prospective suitors that include Cleveland, Phoenix and Golden State, his sighting in Boston and seeming good time while posing with local residents, the New England Patriots, a Harvard alumnus and anybody who?d want his picture taken with him could mean something more than a simple visit. In fact, fellow Celtic-phile and hoops buff Anton Ibe shared information coming from a guy who told of a similar development in 2007 (when the Celtics pried another star forward, Kevin Garnett, out of Minnesota). The inside source reportedly said, ?Hearing from 3/3 sources Kevin Love is here for basketball reasons. In the past 14 days the Boston Celtics are now emerging as the No. 1 candidate for landing Kevin Love. Love and his agents are actively involved in trade talks, which prompted this trip after determining that Boston was the No. 1 option as of these past 14 days.?

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders was quick to dismiss reports indicating Love was bound for Boston, saying, ?The last I knew Kevin was under contract with us, and I expect him to be playing for us next year. I don?t really dictate where guys go on vacation or what they do. They can go wherever they want to go.?

It should be noted, however, that Saunders has to talk that way to avoid giving away whatever is going on behind closed doors, if indeed there are any, or lose any kind of leverage in whatever potential negotiations may take place, if none have yet to this point. The fact remains that Love?s representatives are believed to have told the T?Wolves that the 6-10, 243-pound forward, who averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists this past season, intends to opt out of his contract when it expires in 2015. The T?Wolves thus have to work out a trade for Love or risk getting nothing in the event he walks.

But why Boston, not Los Angeles where the Lakers would jump at the opportunity to acquire a native son (Love was born in Santa Monica, California and went to UCLA)? Or perhaps Golden State where Love would also feel at home or perhaps Phoenix, which is nearer the West Coast?

Well, for one, Love has said that he wants to play for an organization in a big market that is steeped in winning. While that won?t necessarily disqualify the Lakers, that would certainly offer a window of opportunity for the Celts. Former Providence coach Tim Welsh of CSN has said that Love would come to Boston if a trade can be worked out between the Wolves and the Celtics. A source close to Love told Welsh that the three-time All-star ?wants to play for an organization that?s going to be a winning organization; not necessarily I have to go to a championship team now, but a team that?s going to be built to move in that direction. Maybe it?ll take a couple years. That?s OK. But he needs a change from Minnesota.?

For another, Love and former Boston captain Paul Pierce have the same agent, Jeff Schwartz, and Schwartz has had a good history with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who worked out a trade last year to a team, Brooklyn, where Pierce would be happy because of its contending status. One should not also forget that Saunders himself was an adviser to the Celtics two years ago and traveled with the team throughout their playoff run that ended in a Game 7 loss in the East finals in Miami. As such, he and Ainge have that invaluable link necessary to discuss more intimately stuff like trades.

Third, the Celtics have a big cache of assets, including as many as 10 first-round picks over the next five years, as well as young players that Minnesota can use in its own rebuilding, and which other teams, like the Lakers, are not in the position to provide.

?I?ve got confidence that with all these picks and these young guys and our willingness to spend money that we can get there,? Grousbeck said last March as he looked at what his team intends to do this offseason. ?We?re a patient group. We will take a multiyear plan if that?s what it takes. But I think this June there could be some fireworks. I think this June we?ve got so many pieces to this puzzle that we might be able to shake loose a real piece or two for this team going forward. So, I?m hoping it?s sooner rather than later.?

Love?s sighting in Boston over the weekend has undoubtedly spawned a lot of intrigue among hoops denizens. One source, for example, has said that the Boston deal is "pretty much done," and that the Celtics really intend to pair off Love and Celtics captain Rajon Rondo with New York's Carmelo Anthony, an impending free agent himself, to form a lethal triumvirate that would rival the Heats own Big Three.

The source, an insider at RealGM.com, said, The Love deal is pretty much done. I think the fact that Kevin Love is so out and about in Boston is something that Danny wants out there so he can show someone like Melo that he means business. The Melo thing is the one that is on the hush. Melo is the primary target. They need a scorer from the wing position. Cs need to get Love first in order to work one (with) Melo. Thats why Kevin Love is in town, he knows he is headed to Boston. Love is a done deal, the focus now is Melo. He was the primary target. Love opting in on his final year allows the Cs to sign Melo to a long-term deal first. Then work on a team-friendly deal with Rondo and then take care of Kevin."

The same source revealed that the Boston trip is, in fact, something that was planned with Rondo. "Hearing Rondo and Love talked 11 days ago regarding this trip, on the phone, and that Rondo and him have maintained regular correspondence for the past 27 days," the source said.

http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/basketball/59460-holding-court-celtics-pacers-opposite-directions

Where there's smoke there's fire?
Come on Danny, light those fireworks baby

[Roy H.]

Sounds like nonsense to me. Most "insiders" at RealGM are frauds.

[Lucky17]

Sounds like nonsense to me. Most "insiders" at RealGM are frauds.

Yeah. I still have yet to see a Carmelo trade idea that would actually work for New York. I don't see how he's the "hush-hush" candidate. Ainge is crazy like a fox, but he's not delusional.

[manl_lui]

Sounds like nonsense to me. Most "insiders" at RealGM are frauds.

Yeah. I still have yet to see a Carmelo trade idea that would actually work for New York. I don't see how he's the "hush-hush" candidate. Ainge is crazy like a fox, but he's not delusional.

as long as we don't do what NY did a couple years ago for Melo. They gutted half their roster for Melo and it got them no where. 2 1st round exits, 1 2nd round exit and missed playoffs...

also if we purely try to gut our roster to make salary cap to sign both

Wallace expires 2015, and we can gut Sully (redundant player for Love) and Green

2015 looks like a good summer

[BleedGreen1989]

Sounds like nonsense to me. Most "insiders" at RealGM are frauds.

Yeah. I still have yet to see a Carmelo trade idea that would actually work for New York. I don't see how he's the "hush-hush" candidate. Ainge is crazy like a fox, but he's not delusional.

Yeah, while I certainly don't buy Love was just "visiting", I also don't buy that Rondo/Melo/Love is anything close to a likely scenario.

[D.o.s.]

Sounds like nonsense to me. Most "insiders" at RealGM are frauds.

[LooseCannon]

as long as we don't do what NY did a couple years ago for Melo. They gutted half their roster for Melo and it got them no where. 2 1st round exits, 1 2nd round exit and missed playoffs...

There are two key differences:

One is that James Dolan supposedly took over negotiation of the deal and gave Denver everything they wanted, over internal objections by people such as Donnie Walsh.  That's not going to happen in Boston.

Two is that Kevin Love is a better player than Carmelo Anthony.

[LooseCannon]

It's RealGM.  I'd just as soon believe a report that Love and Rondo were meeting up with plans to play in Boston for a year then screw the Celtics and sign with the Lakers in the summer of 2015.

[droopdog7]

Not a Melo fan.  And I guess we would have to leverage the rest of our picks to get him.  And we'd struggle seriously on D. 

Not sure this is the best way to go.

[Evantime34]

I am always skeptical of things I read on RealGM, but since this post seems to tell me something I want to hear, I'm 100% on board.

I'm curious as to what it could take to get Carmelo and if the Knicks would even agree to trade him within the division. That trio would be very interesting on the defensive end. I think offensively it is a great fit in that Rondo and Love are good passers who could set up Melo for some easy looks.

I would probably prefer someone who had better defensive chops over Melo to join Rondo and Love but Carmelo is the bet available scorer on the market

[MBunge]

Sounds like nonsense to me. Most "insiders" at RealGM are frauds.

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.  Say we give up Sully, filler, the two picks this year and one pick next year for Love.  Ainge could still put two first rounders in 2016, one in 2017 and two again in 2018 for Melo.  He probably won't (and shouldn't) offer that much but Boston can still blow away anyone else in a trade offer for Melo, unless someone offers up a top three pick this year for him.

Mike

[Lucky17]

Sounds like nonsense to me. Most "insiders" at RealGM are frauds.

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.  Say we give up Sully, filler, the two picks this year and one pick next year for Love.  Ainge could still put two first rounders in 2016, one in 2017 and two again in 2018 for Melo.  He probably won't (and shouldn't) offer that much but Boston can still blow away anyone else in a trade offer for Melo, unless someone offers up a top three pick this year for him.

Mike

But how do you match Melo's salary? Gerald Wallace's contract? Jeff Green? Neither of those pieces are very attractive. Ainge would probably have to add even more picks to get the Knicks to bite.

[slamtheking]

Maybe it's me but I took the Melo piece to be a FA signing next year after Love picks up his option.  no trade needed to get Melo.  would have Bass off the books with Green and Wallace becoming expiring deals that might attract an offer to unload one of them. 

[LarBrd33]

I saw the thread on realgm and saw the guy who this is quoting.  He wasn't an insider ... Just some jackwagon celtics thug who is making stuff up. He was bragging about "inside info" that Kevin love was going to be having dinner at a steak restaurant in boston... It was something that had already been reported on twitter.  The rest of the nonsense is just stuff he made up that is reasonably believable 

[furball]

Well, you have to ask yourself, do you trust these sources or Chris Forseberg and WB Hames?   They say the meeting between Rondo and Love wasn't planned and that Hames (and fans in the monster seats0 had to tell Rondo Love was there and where he was.  These guys say Rondo and Love planned the trip.  If you don't believe the trip was planned, then can you really believe the rest of what the sources say?