Celtics trade rumors: Boston trying to change Garnett's mind about no-trade clause

The Boston Celtics have been a constant name on the NBA trade front, and things are continuing to heat up as the deadline approached.

When it comes to Kevin Garnett, over the weekend he reportedly made it clear to Clippers players Chris Paul and Eric Bledsoe that he would not be waiving his no-trade clause if Boston shipped him to Los Angeles. Leave the choice to Garnett and he will "live and die green."

However, that isn't stopping the trade chatter surrounding Garnett from continuing. In the latest "Garnett update", it appears that the Celtics organization may attempt to change Garnett's mind when it comes to waiving his no-trade clause, reports ESPN's Marc Stein.

According to one theory in circulation on the personnel grapevine, Celtics officials could be moved this week to try to make the case to Garnett that waiving his no-trade provision to accept that long-rumored trade to the Los Angeles Clippers would be the best thing not only for himself but for the long-term health of the franchise.

It's a theory, as Stein states, but an interesting one none the less. The Celtics have been targeting Eric Bledsoe of the Clippers along with DeAndre Jordan, but Los Angeles is beginning to reel back their willingness to include both Marc Stein reveals in the same report.

We'll find out for sure between now and the deadline, but the source insisted that the Clippers feel that a Bledsoe-and-Jordan combo is too much to surrender for a 36-year-old who isn't sure how much longer he'll be playing.

However, a new target has revealed itself, and the Celtics are now interested in Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks would prefer a deal structured around Paul Pierce, not Garnett, reports Marc Stein.

Yet a Boston deal for Smith, sources said, would almost certainly have to be built around Paul Pierce, because Kevin Garnett isn't waiving his no-trade clause to go to the Atlanta Hawks if he's not willing to waive it to go to Clipperland. And the prospect of Celtics front-office chief Danny Ainge exiling Pierce to the Hawks for Smith, after everything Pierce has done to restore the Celtics to glory over the past half-decade, is still hard to imagine.

At least for me.

Key words above: at least for me. It's clear that Boston is attempting to rebuild their team, while also remaining competitive, and that doesn't come without a price. Is long-time franchise player Pierce too high a price for Smith? Is this simply posturing from sides trying to stoke the fire before the trade deadline?

We'll know one all the smoke from the trade deadline clears up. Danny Ainge is definitely searching through it in the meantime.