Boston Celtics: 10 Potential Star Trade Targets

8. Paul George

The Indiana Pacers have denied over and over that Paul George is available, so Celtics fans shouldn’t hold their breath on this one. But since Larry Bird‘s team has underwhelmed and 20-year-old Myles Turner is on a different timeline from PG-13, we might as well take a look at what a potential deal would look like.

The Celtics would immediately become title contenders by adding George, and though it’d obviously cost quite a bit to acquire a 26-year-old superstar, Ainge has plenty of assets to throw into the pile without gutting the roster too badly.

Amir Johnson would be needed to balance contracts, but the true assets for Indiana would obviously be Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder and possibly the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft (via Brooklyn).

Jeff Teague has found his footing in Indiana, but he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 22-year-old Smart would provide the Pacers with a long-term solution at the point and someone who’s on the same timeline as Turner.

Crowder would be a replacement for PG-13 on the wing, Johnson would be another useful body for the frontcourt and the 2017 first-rounder would help the Pacers jumpstart their potential rebuild with a very valuable pick — or even two.

The Celtics would have to hope Jonas Jerebko and Kelly Olynyk could tag-team the power forward spot with Johnson gone, but they’d have a core of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Paul George and Al Horford for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely the Pacers decide to move Paul George, especially now that they’ve moved up to sixth in the conference standings. They’d probably ask for the 2018 first-rounder via Brooklyn as well. Ainge should be willing to part with both Nets picks if PG-13 is available, but again, it’d be pretty dumb for Indiana to trade him.