Boston Celtics trade rumor roundup: Aaron Gordon wants out; trying to raid the Hawks?

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m., so the rumors are about to really start flying. The Boston Celtics have been linked to a few different players, and things are starting to evolve. Here's a quick roundup of all the rumors and what they mean.

Aaron Gordon (via The Athletic): Gordon has reportedly asked out of Orlando, so his time in Disneyland is almost up.

The Celtics are reportedly in the mix, but there seems to be a question of whether they would pull the move off with their traded player exception or by matching salary in a traditional trade. The Magic might just enter sell-off mode, so taking back Tristan Thompson as the centerpiece of a deal might not be entirely palatable for them.

This raises a couple of issues for Boston. First, a straight acquisition of Gordon for picks would put them $2.4 million over the luxury tax, which means they'd have to work a separate deal to clear that much from the books. Trading Grant Williams for a pick would get that done, and that might be fine for Boston since Gordon would replace Williams on the depth chart.

Secondly, Orlando would likely be looking for multiple picks if they're not getting a player back, and Danny Ainge might not be so willing to part with picks beyond this season. If he has eyes on a bigger prize down the road, then giving up draft picks beyond this year would be problematic. The MOST they could do is this year's first and then a pick swap the year after (since the Stepien Rule doesn't allow for first round picks to be traded in consecutive years).

It's still a complication, and solving it would likely require a third team.

John Collins (also via The Athletic): The Celtics reportedly inquired about Collins and the Hawks reportedly countered with a bigger deal built around Jaylen Brown. So that's a non-starter for Boston.

That's not to say Brown is completely untouchable, but he most certainly isn't moving in a deal for Collins. Building a trade around Brown is something that brings you a disgruntled superstar. He's the basis for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, not John Collins.

The Hawks have also reportedly expressed interest in Marcus Smart, which basically means they're window shopping at Tiffany's when they're on a Zales budget.

Nemanja Bjelica (via Bleacher Report): According to the report, "multiple league sources mentioned Boston as a top suitor for Bjelica."

Bjelica is a realistic target for Boston because it won't cost all that much to get him. He makes $7,150,000, and because all Boston needs to do is get within $5 million of that salary, Grant Williams, Aaron Nesmith, and Romeo Langford all fall within the salary range to match in straight swap. It's up to Ainge to decide if any of those guys is worth Bjelica, an almost 33-year-old forward in the final year of his contract.

Bjelica's 3-point shooting would be his biggest draw, and thus far this season it hasn't been up to par. He shot better than 40% from deep in each of the past three seasons, but he's now shooting 28.6%. The question is whether this is a blip because his role has been diminished on a bad team, or whether his shot is starting to falter.

It's also worth noting that Grant Williams is shooting 41.2% on 3's and that Nesmith's entire reputation is built on him being a deadeye shooter. Williams still gives Boston some defensive capability while Bjelica does not. The promise of Nesmith, who is young and eager, may outweigh Boston's need for help right now.

The Celtics could just decide to bring Bjelica in through the TPE, which would still give them more than $21 million to spend over the summer. The draft cost for Bjelica could be much less, possibly a second round pick or two.

Bogdan Bogdanovic (via The Ringer): Bogie missed a good chunk of this season with a knee injury and is only just now starting to find his game again. He makes $18 million, so it's hard to see the Celtics actually making this move. According to Kevin O'Connor, this might have been part of Celtics move to get both Collins and Bogdanovic.

This feels like a longshot play from Ainge. "Oh hey look Bogie has sucked for you let's take his salary off your hands while you give us Collins too," all the while knowing Bogdanovic can easily turn it around and be flipped down the road.

It just doesn't feel realistic.

Something is going to happen. Now that we know Orlando is dealing with a trade request, they're the most interesting team to watch. Not only is Boston interested in Gordon, there are other pieces on that team that could be intriguing to the Celtics.

"This is the week where the heat gets turned up and the people that want to make deals get a little bit more serious about deals," Ainge recently said. "The phones have been ringing for the last few weeks, but I think it would get it'll pick up this week."