The Kevin Love saga is really just taking off, and it seems like the Celtics have been at the center of all rumors. They can offer Minnesota the sixth pick in, so it is said, the strongest Draft in a decade. However, they don’t have many pieces to dangle beyond the draft pick, leading to a total package that seems to fall short of what the T-Wolves are looking for. From ESPN Boston:
According to team and league sources, [a deal] isn’t happening any time soon because the Timberwolves are less than enamored with what Boston can offer them.
The conversation would have adopted a completely different tone had the Celtics landed the first, second or third pick in the draft. The Timberwolves, like everyone else, covet the opportunity to have a crack at one of the troika of Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker.
The No. 6 pick isn’t quite so sexy. The Celtics can offer only some combination of that pick and the following: the valuable future Brooklyn picks, the 17th pick this year, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass, Keith Bogans’ expiring $5.05 million contract (if they can do it before July 1).
In other words, pretty much anything Minnesota wants.
The Timberwolves privately maintain they already have fielded better offers from other teams, among them the Chicago Bulls, who can offer draft picks and some combination of Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson along with Carlos Boozer, whose bloated $16.8 million contract expires next summer and represents the kind of cap space rebuilding teams crave.
