Apr 12, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon (10) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) during the first half at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

There is a rumor going around that the Boston Celtics could be looking to trade for  the New Orleans Pelicans swingman Eric Gordon according to Michael McNamara of ESPN’s Truehoop blog Bourbon Street Shots.

Just heard strange rumor from EC source: Celtics talking about possibility of Pierce and Bradley for Eric Gordon.

— Michael McNamara (@McNamara247) May 21, 2013

Keep in mind that EC stands for Eastern Conference here. So the source is closer to the Celtics than the Pelicans. If the trade does go down, the Celtics would have moved Pierce’s contract and Avery Bradley for a swingman coming off of an ankle injury.

Gordon has only played in 51 games in the past two seasons, but many believe that is because he didn’t want to play for the Hornets. If there is any truth to that, the Celtics could get some value in Gordon.

Gordon’s best season was his third year with the Clippers. He averaged 22.3 points on 45% shooting. He also shot 36% from three that year–just near the league average.

Gordon would insert some much needed offense for a team sorely lacking just that.

They’d miss Avery Bradley’s defense on the perimeter, though. Bradley was easily the best perimeter defender for the Celtics this season. Once he made his return, he took what was a bottom 10 defense and turned it into a top 10 defense. The Celtics allow 1.9 less points with him on the court.

We also have to remember Bradley was coming off of shoulder surgery to start the season. He has an injury history, too. So if this deal does manifest, its likely that Bradley will not be the only thing leaving the Celtics.

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Today the NBA announced the All-Defensive first and second teams this afternoon. The All-Defensive first team had two centers on it and six players in total. The second team has the traditional five.

Avery Bradley finished the season with 9.2 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals. He also averaged 2.6 fouls per game in 28.7 minutes of play. The Celtics defense was a +1.3 on the defensive end. The Celtics allow 104.6 points per 100 possessions without Bradley on the floor and 103.3 with him on the court.

Joining Bradley on the second team is Paul George, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Tim Duncan. The first team consists of LeBron James, Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler, Serge Ibaka, Tony Allen and Chris Paul.

This is the second year in a row that the All-Defensive first team did not have the defensive player of the year on it. Marc Gasol lands on the second team behind Joakim Noah and Tyson Chandler.

Bradley only played in 50 games this season after coming off of a shoulder surgery to treat a dislocated should from last season’s playoffs.

Apr 5, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (front) drives to the hoop against Boston Celtics power forward Brandon Bass (back) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Boston had defeated the Cavaliers less than two weeks ago, and Cleveland (23-52) came in losers of 10 consecutive games, but that did not matter tonight. The Cavaliers topped the Celtics 97-91.

The Celtics (39-37) came in an undermanned team without Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Both sat out due to ankle injuries.

Garnett’s absence was particularly felt in the paint, where Tristan Thompson dominated the Celtics. Thompson had a season-high in points and rebounds with 29 and 17. Thompson’s 17 rebounds helped account for the Cavaliers’ edge of 16 on the glass.

Without Pierce to help orchestrate the offense, Boston never got into any rythym. They shot just 40.4 percent from the floor, including a miserable six of 22 from the 3-point line.

The one bright spot for the Celtics offensively was Jeff Green. Green continued his trend of picking up the scoring slack left without Garnett, dropping 23 points tonight. Green also led the Celtics in rebounding with nine.

Also producing in Garnett’s absence has been Shavlik Randolph. Randolph contributed 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench. He was the only member of the bench in double-figures.

With the Celtics preparing for the playoffs, preventing injuries and gaining rest has become the top priority for Doc Rivers. The Celtics suffered a scare when Avery Bradley hurt his collar bone late in the game.

He was forced to go back into the locker room, but all initial reports indicate it is not serious. While Bradley’s offense has fallen off in the past few weeks, he still remains a defensive presence.

His defense helped keep Kyrie Irving in check for most of the night. Irving scored 16 points, but took 20 shots to do so.

The Celtics next play on Sunday against the Washington Wizards. Rivers pointed toward this as a likely return for Garnett. Boston now has five games left in the season.

The Celtics still remain two and a half games ahead of the Bucks for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.