Report: Celtics Would Trade Nets Pick For Blake Griffin, Not Kevin Love

Welcome to NBA trade deadline week, where rumors change by the minute.

After reports that the Boston Celtics are the front-runners to land Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford and that Boston could receive Kevin Love in a three-team trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans from CSNNE’s A. Sherrod Blakely on Wednesday, the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett published a column Wednesday night jam-packed with new information, much of which refutes several pieces of Blakely’s reporting.

Here’s the bullet points:

• The Celtics would only give up the 2016 unprotected Brooklyn Nets pick for Los Angeles Clippers Blake Griffin, should he become available.
• The Celtics would not be willing to part with that pick for Love or Horford.
• Though Doc Rivers said Griffin was not available, the Celtics likely will check back in Thursday. Just in case.
• Love has a knee injury that is scaring teams off more than his surgically repaired and recently re-injured left shoulder.
• The Celtics are not really interested in Horford, don’t want to overpay to receive him, and aren’t interested in paying the hefty price tag he’ll command this summer in free agency, either.

Additionally, the Akron Beacon Journal’s Jason Lloyd is reporting that Love, Iman Shumpert and Anderson Varejao are all expected to remain with Cleveland through Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline.

In other words, don’t get your hopes up, Boston.

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