Jeff Green’s Return to Celtics Not a Certainty, As Other Teams Showing Interest, According to Agent

When the Celtics traded for Jeff Green, they were operating under the assumption that he'd become a big part of their future plans. He still might, but it may take some work to keep him in Boston.

Green, who missed all of this season due to a serious heart condition, is on the comeback trail and will be available to any team when the NBA free agency period starts on July 1. While there remains strong mutual interest between Green and the Celtics, his agent David Falk claims that the forward is also drawing plenty of interest from other teams, according to SI.com.

Falk reportedly said that he has already had exploratory discussions with "12 to 14 teams," and that it's far from certain that Green will return to Boston, despite the mutual interest.

"With the possible exception of [Brooklyn point guard] Deron Williams, I think that Jeff will probably be the No. 1 unrestricted free agent on the market," Falk told SI.com. "It's not like we have LeBron [James] and [Dwyane] Wade and all these guys floating around.

"I'd be very surprised if Deron Williams winds up anywhere besides Dallas or New Jersey [Brooklyn]. So the next guy in the pecking order is Jeff Green."

Green struggled to catch on upon arriving in Boston. He arrived in the deal that sent Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City prior to the 2011 trade deadline, and went on to average just 9.8 points per game in 26 contests.

The 25-year-old still has time to settle in if he returns to the Celtics, however, especially with some question marks surrounding the team's veterans. Green was expected to be the team's sixth man this season — a plan that was hindered by his health scare — and his return would be welcomed by the C's, who struggled at times to get production from their bench.

"I know that [the Celtics] want Jeff to come back, from [general manager] Danny [Ainge] to the owners to Doc and to his teammates," said Falk, who noted that Boston is the incumbent. "He loves Boston. We're waiting to see what happens with KG, what happens with Ray…There are other teams that could be very, very interesting to him around the league that will also have cap room."

Green was drafted fifth overall by the Celtics in 2007, but was then shipped to Seattle (now Oklahoma City) as part of the deal that landed Ray Allen.