Clippers among teams interested in Celtics’ Ray Allen

While trade talk surrounds Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, Sporting News reported during All-Star weekend that there is a lot of interest around the league in Ray Allen. SI.com now reports that some league executives believe Allen is the most likely Boston player to be traded before the NBA’s March 15 deadline, and the Clippers are one of the interested teams.

Since losing Chauncey Billups to a season-ending Achilles' injury, and losing out to the Knicks in the pursuit of J.R. Smith, the Clippers are in need of backcourt depth.

Allen will be a free agent at the end of the season, so any team trading for him would likely see him as a late-season rental that could help in the playoffs.

But, SI.com reports, the Celtics’ asking price for Allen is probably too high for the Clippers. In addition to young talent, Boston wants a draft pick, something the Clippers don’t have at their disposal.