Celtics nearly broke up Boston's 'Big Three' at trade deadline

BOSTON—Celtics coach Doc Rivers acknowledged on Wednesday that, at the trading deadline, the team nearly dealt Ray Allen to Memphis, as reported this morning by Yahoo! Sports. Rivers said he generally avoided the conversations, and that it was team president Danny Ainge who informed Allen of the potential trade.

“(Allen) knew about it,” Rivers said. “I don’t see it as a big deal. That was a month ago.”

Heading into the trading deadline, Ainge was weighing whether to break up the core of his team—Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett—in order to begin building for the future. The Celtics would have acquired O.J. Mayo and a draft pick from the Grizzlies for Allen.

The Celtics also reportedly had a deal in place that would have sent small forward Paul Pierce to New Jersey for Mehmet Okur’s expiring contract and a draft pick. At the deadline, there was a rumor that the Blazers would be involved in that deal, too. Portland eventually traded Gerald Wallace to the Nets.

Rivers said he was happy that the potential trades fell through.

“It was a scary moment for all of us,” he said. “If you lose Ray, that’s a scary moment. He’s pretty good. … I would not want to see Ray, Paul or Kevin ever moved. That’s just how you are. Even if you got the best

deal in the world, you’re still losing guys you have an attachment with. That would be scary for anyone.”

The Celtics have gone 13-7 since the trading deadline, seizing the lead in the Atlantic Division. Allen has been struggling with swelling in his ankle and missed his sixth straight game on Wednesday against the Magic. Rivers said that, once the trading deadline passed, he had no problems with any of his players.

“The guys are great,” River said. “Afterwards, we were all ready to just move forward. That’s what I love about this team. “