The trading deadline is a few weeks behind us and one of the many viewpoints on this year’s deals was the fact that there were none blockbuster variety. No huge names were moved and many were perplexed as to why. Now we find out according to Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski, a couple of huge names came extremely close to being moved.
The framework was a 3-team deal between the Celtics, Mavericks, and the Hawks. Josh Smith would have went to the Celtics, Paul Pierce to the Mavericks, and Boston’s 1st round pick to Atlanta with the Mavs Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright and Dahntay Jones also headed to the Hawks.
Before the trade deadline passed, the Boston Celtics had one final choice to make on the franchise’s future: In a three-way deal that would’ve secured Josh Smith and surrendered Paul Pierce to Dallas, Atlanta wanted Boston’s first-round draft pick, too.
As much as any of the proposed deals discussed in February, perhaps this had been the closest Pierce had come to parting with the Celtics, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Dallas had constructed a package that included Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright and Dahntay Jones to Atlanta, with the Mavericks and Hawks exchanging positions in the 2013 NBA draft.
Nevertheless, Boston wouldn’t relent on the pick and the deal died on meeting-room grease boards in three cities. Celtics coach Doc Rivers has always understood that general manager Danny Ainge’s reshaping of the roster is inevitable, but he’s never been in a hurry to lord over a rebuild.