Boston Celtics: 4 teams Cs should immediately engage in trade talks with

Boston Celtics trade partner #3: Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets’ rebuild began in earnest when the team finally dealt away James Harden earlier this season. After destroying the team’s chemistry in December and the first portion of January, the “Beard” departed H-Town and left behind a team with ill-fitting veterans and few long-term keepers.

Houston has tried to recover, but even with Victor Oladipo and John Wall in the backcourt, the team has struggled to remain remotely competitive many nights. The Rockets have subsequently fallen to the second-worst record in the league.

With P.J. Tucker now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Danny Ainge should pursue the team’s other miscast veterans, such as Danuel House, D.J. Augustin (who was acquired in the Tucker deal), or even Christian Wood.

Boston Celtics trade partner #4: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have perfected the art of dealing veterans for picks, as they have hit home runs with each deal they have made for high-priced former stars.

They fleeced the Los Angeles Clippers in the Paul George deal, got a better point guard (Chris Paul) in a pick-heavy swap with the Houston Rockets last summer, and then added another first-round pick after dealing away the 36-year-old Paul.

Now, the Thunder can continue that tradition on a smaller scale, and the Cs could pursue veterans like George Hill, Darius Miller, and Mike Muscala. If he really wants to make a splash, he could explore a reunion with Al Horford.

Either way, the Thunder are open for business–as they showed with recent deals with the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat–and Danny Ainge should take a seat alongside Sam Presti at the negotiating table.