ESPN

For the past couple of weeks, Rudy Fernandez's name has popped up in trade speculation because of his unhappiness playing behind All-Star Brandon Roy in Portland. A report Wednesday in The Oregonian suggests Boston is one of three teams vying for his services:

At the urging of Rudy Fernandez and his agent, the Trail Blazers have engaged in accelerated trade discussions to deal the disgruntled, once-popular shooting guard to one of three Eastern Conference teams.

Boston, Chicago and New York are all in the running to land the 6-foot-6 Spaniard, who set an NBA rookie record two seasons ago by making 159 three-pointers.

Fernandez, 25, is unhappy in Portland because of limited playing time behind All-Star Brandon Roy and because of the playing style of coach Nate McMillan, who primarily used Fernandez as an outside shooter, not the playmaker Fernandez believes he can be in the NBA.

The Celtics would likely be attempting to move Rasheed Wallace's contract as part of a deal (something that seems fitting as Wallace's career blossomed in Portland and Doc Rivers suggested that Wallace will retire to that area after his playing days), but Fernandez is a value buy ($1.25 million), so the Blazers would have to send another player in return and there's not much that matches up (at least that Portland would be willing to part with).

Boston could spice up their offer with a first-round draft pick, but considering it's likely pegged as a late first-rounder next season, it's unlikely to entice Portland. The Celtics could offer some of their lower-priced chips, like Glen Davis, but that could create a void in an already-thin frontcourt.

Fernandez averaged 8.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game in 62 appearances last season.

(h/t: Boston Globe, CelticsBlog)

The Boston Celtics had talked to the Washington Wizards about a deal involving small forward Caron Butler, an unidentified team source told the Boston Globe on Saturday. The source also told the Globe that power forward Antawn Jamison was not part of the discussion, as had been rumored Friday.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on Friday said there was “no truth” to a Yahoo! Sports report that his team was discussing a trade that would send Ray Allen, Brian Scalabrine and J.R. Giddens to Washington in exchange for Butler and Jamison.

There was no mention in the Globe’s report Saturday about whether Allen, whose $19.7 million contract expires at the end of the season, was included in any potential deal discussed by the Celtics and Wizards.

The Celtics’ interest in Butler turned out to be a moot point. The Wizards and Mavericks completed a seven-player trade Saturday night that sent Butler and Brendan Haywood to the Mavericks.

The teams agreed on the principal pieces Friday: Butler, Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas for Josh Howard and Drew Gooden. Mavericks reserves Quinton Ross and James Singleton were added to the deal Saturday and are also Washington-bound, with Dallas due to receive cash considerations in addition to the three players.

Washington and Dallas have completed a trade call with the league office to secure the NBA's required approval and will formally announce the trade later Saturday, sources told ESPN.com.

The Globe’s unidentified team source also said Celtics coach Doc Rivers spoke with Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown about a possible deal. The Globe reported that the Bobcats were willing to part with guard D.J. Augustin and the Bobcats were interested in Rasheed Wallace.

As we get closer to the Feb. 18 trading deadline, you can expect to hear more and more rumblings about whether the Boston Celtics will trade Ray Allen and his $19.7 million expiring contract. The latest buzz came Wednesday morning in the Boston Globe, which reported that while Danny Ainge is not actively shopping Allen, he is fielding an increasing number of calls about his 34-year-old shooting guard.

On Tuesday, ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard reported that, according to sources, Allen is definitely available.

Earlier this week, the hot rumor tied to Allen was a potential swap that would net the Celtics shooting guard Kevin Martin from the Kings. Earlier this month, the Warriors’ Monta Ellis was tied to an Allen trade rumor.

While Allen’s numbers are down this season, one of the biggest considerations for Ainge -- who has insisted he is not actively looking to deal Allen -- in deciding whether to send Allen out of town has to be whether what he can get in return will give the Celtics a better chance to win a title this season.

Trading players isn’t as simple in the NBA as it is in other sports. Rules dictate that salaries have to match up in order for a deal to be valid, which makes ESPN.com’s Trade Machine a valuable tool for armchair GMs at this time of year.

We’d like to issue a challenge to all of you Ainge wanna-bes out there: Using the Trade Machine, come up with an Allen trade that satisfies all of the following requirements:

1. Is valid using the Trade Machine.
2. Gives the Celtics a better chance to win an NBA title this season, in your view.
3. Can be argued from the perspective of both teams; in other words, satisfies a need for the other team involved as well. (Put yourself in the shoes of a fan of the opposing team)
4. Does not include a “bad contract” coming to the Celtics. Sources told the Boston Globe the Celtics were not interested in taking on any such contracts that would hurt salary cap space.

Have at it, and share your results and a link (you can generate a link to your trade using the Trade Machine’s “Share” function) in the comments section of this blog post.

ESPN's Chris Broussard, citing league sources, reported Tuesday that the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats are talking about a trade centered around a swap of forward Glen Davis and guard D.J. Augustin.

From Broussard:

Sources cautioned that nothing is imminent, but said the clubs are having discussions.

The Bobcats have been searching for a power forward, and the 6-9 Davis could be their man. The Celtics, meanwhile, have been longing for a backup point guard, and Augustin, who's fallen out of favor with Charlotte coach Larry Brown, would be more than adequate.

A straight-up trade would not work because Davis is a base-year compensation player, so other players would have to be involved to meet the financial requirements. That could be a sticking point in the deal.

While teams don't typically trade big for small, Boston is a bit aggravated with Davis, who's had a few off-the-court problems this season. Most notably, he missed the first 27 games of the season after breaking his thumb in an early morning scuffle with a friend.

The Celtics have been rumored to be shopping Ray Allen, and while league sources insist the word "shopping'' is too strong, they say the shooting guard is definitely available. Few believe he'll be traded before the Feb. 18 deadline, though, because the Celtics aren't likely to get a better player in return.

This is one of many trade rumors sure to swirl as the Feb. 18 deadline nears. Let's break it down:

Does it work?: Utilizing the ESPN NBA Trade Machine, this deal won't work straight up, but one version that does come back successful is Davis and Shelden Williams for Augustin. While Davis' base salary for this season is $3 million, his trade value is sliced in half due to base year compensation. When coupled with Williams' $825,497, it's enough to swap for Augustin's $2.37 million deal. (Bill Simmons points out another version that works).

Does it make sense?: Our gut says this one doesn't make sense for Boston. Do the Celtics need a backup point guard? Yes. But the team also just went 28 games without Marquis Daniels, who should resume primary ball-handling responsibilities off the bench as his surgically-repaired left thumb heals. If the team was desperate for a backup ball-handler, it would seem they would have pursued this sort of swap sooner. What's more, Boston seemingly needs Davis' depth in the frontcourt given that Williams has been dropped from the rotation (nine straight DNPs) and Rasheed Wallace continues to be ineffective. Losing Davis would elevate Brian Scalabrine to primary backup at the four spot.

Final thoughts: Despite some frustrating actions this season (off-court fight before season started; obscene comment to fan in Detroit), Davis appears to be coming on strong lately. He's getting more comfortable as his right thumb heals and he's added great energy off the bench (more than once recently he's hauled in multiple offensive rebounds on a possession). Davis talked at length Monday about his desire to increase his role and return to the type of indispensable presence he was when Kevin Garnett was injured in last year's postseason (more on that Wednesday). We just don't see this as a move that improves the Celtics moving forward. They can find more economical ways to fill the void at backup point guard if forced to look outside their locker room.