Recent rumors have emerged that the Boston Celtics could land either Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler or LaMarcus Aldridge via a trade this upcoming season or in free-agency next summer as the team is still searching for a "superstar" to lead them into a new era.
Metro reported that Celtics executives Danny Ainge and Wyc Grousbeck have both disclosed the club's plan of landing "a 'superstar' player as soon as this current season, via trade, or in free agency next summer if the prices are right".
Three big-name players were mentioned as the primary targets of the Celtics at the moment, and they were the Golden State Warriors' Durant, Chicago Bulls' Butler, and Spurs' Aldridge.
Durant and Butler had been linked to Boston all summer long. The Celtics is reportedly Durant's second choice before finalizing a deal with the Warriors in July while Butler was rumored to be considering a move out of the Bulls as well.
If Durant and the Warriors turn out to be an ill-fit and come up short of the NBA title at the end of 2016-2017, then expect the former NBA MVP to exercise his player option next summer and find another team to lead on his own. This makes the Celtics one of the best options for the former Texas standout.
Meanwhile, some analysts believe that the situation with the Bulls' is threading on a very fine line between success and failure and Butler is on a "wait-and-see" mode before deciding on his future.
The recent acquisition of point guard Michael Carter-Williams may cause some friction between the team and presumed starting floor general Rajon Rondo as the two may compete for minutes. Dwyane Wade has a player option next summer and could also choose to move elsewhere, so there is nothing stable about the Bulls right now.
There is a chance that Chicago might suddenly decide on a full rebuild and Butler would be their best trade chip to acquire multiple draft picks. Again, the Celtics are the ideal team to deal with when it comes to future picks.
Lastly, recent rumors are out that Aldridge could be traded by the Spurs in or before next year's February deadline if he fails to reach the expectations in San Antonio.
ESPN indicated that Aldridge's "name will surface in trade talks" if the Spurs flop in the upcoming season as the team is preferring to move forward with the younger Kawhi Leonard. The two players are six years apart and so it is unlikely that they will be in their prime at the same time.
If Aldridge becomes available, expect the Celtics to take advantage of it by offering the Spurs the draft picks that they need to go younger.