The Boston Celtics played the role of facilitator Tuesday, assisting in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ effort to clear salary-cap space and landing three potentially valuable assets in the process.
The three-team trade, which also includes the Brooklyn Nets and first was reported by ESPN, cannot be made official until 12:01 a.m. Thursday, but here are the reported terms:
Celtics receive:
— Center Tyler Zeller from Cleveland
— Guard Marcus Thornton from Brooklyn
— 2016 protected first-round pick from Cleveland (top-10 protected from 2016 to 2018; unprotected in 2019)
Cavaliers receive:
— Cap space in excess of the $20.7 milion necessary to sign LeBron James to a max contract
–Future second-round draft pick from Celtics
Nets receive:
— Guard Jarrett Jack and forward Sergey Karasev from Cleveland
The reported deal clearly is an attempt to woo James back to his former team, but according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, there are “no assurances” that it will lead to a Cleveland homecoming for LeBron.
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Trevor Ariza and Chandler Parsons have been rumored as potential fallback plans for the Cavs if James decides to remain in Miami. The Cavaliers also are making a run at former Heat guard Ray Allen, sources told ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
The trade would give the Celtics eight first-round draft picks over the next four years — a number that would jump to nine if the Phialdelphia 76ers reach the playoffs this season.
