Boston Celtics: 10 Potential Star Trade Targets

7. Blake Griffin

Like Paul George, Blake Griffin is unlikely to be dealt at the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline. The Los Angeles Clippers may be missing Chris Paul for now, but no matter how far down the standings they fall, when fully healthy, this is one of the best teams in the West.

To that end, trading Griffin — even if he can opt out and hit free agency this summer — feels like a panic move. The Clippers have even been talking to the New York Knicks about Carmelo Anthony to try and form a Big Four in Lob City.

However, if the Clippers do listen to trade offers for fear of losing both Griffin and CP3 to free agency, the Celtics are one team that would love to have him and could surrender quite an attractive trade package.

Austin Rivers has had a great season, and the Clippers would be wise to try and re-sign Chris Paul this summer, but if they’re moving Griffin, you can probably assume they’re either ready to rebuild or bracing for the possibility of Paul leaving.

If that’s the case, Smart would provide a long-term option at the point, Crowder would represent the small forward the Clippers have been waiting on for years, Johnson would be Griffin’s replacement at power forward, and the 2018 Nets pick would allow the Clippers to finally add some premium rookie talent through the draft.

The problem is Doc Rivers will more than likely stay the course and hope his team can stay healthy long enough to put together a postseason run. Crowder is also 26, which means Smart and a 2018 first-rounder might not be enough incoming youth to commit to a rebuild anyway.

For the Celtics, a deal for Griffin would be a no-brainer, even if it’d rob them of their starting small forward. They’d need an assurance that Griffin would re-sign this summer, but a core of Thomas, Bradley, Griffin and Horford could conceivably contend for a title, and it’d have no problem attracting talent in free agency to replace Crowder.