LA Clippers Side-Step Kevin Garnett Trade Rumors

LA Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro spoke up and did his best to shoot down rumors that the Boston Celtics had discussed a swap involving Kevin Garnett, Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler. Per the LA Daily News: “The aging, expensive Celtics recently lost point guard Rajon Rondo to a season-ending knee injury, knocking an already unbalanced season sideways. With the Clippers potentially looking for help to get back on track, the Celtics contemplating blowing their roster up and going into full rebuild mode and the Feb. 21 trade deadline approaching, the game of connect the dots is in full swing. Which led to a report that surfaced Sunday in the Sporting News that indicated the Clippers had inquired about the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett. The Clippers reportedly are dangling point guard Eric Bledsoe and forward Caron Butler for the 37-year-old Garnett, who has two more years on his contract beyond this season worth $23 million. […] ‘I’m just focused on the Washington Wizards,’ Bledsoe said before Monday’s game. ‘Just focused on the Wizards and trying to get back on a winning track.’ It was a clever way of downplaying the reports, but the reality is Bledsoe knows full well his name is out there in trade talks. To deal with it, he boils his focal point down to the most minimal element. ‘It’s what I can control,’ Bledsoe said. ‘So I’ll focus on the Wizards and trying to get back on the winning track.’ Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said trade talk isn’t an issue and most of the rumors being bandied about have little validity. ‘Most of (what’s reported) isn’t accurate,’ Del Negro said.”