NBA Trade Rumors: Breaking Up Big 3 Will Tarnish Boston Celtics' Title Hopes

After starting the season 0-3 in what was a series of three straight road games against three of the better teams in the NBA including the NBA-best Miami Heat, the Celtics are now 4-4 on the season and have shown a new light.

Before the start of the season as well as during their struggles this season, sources like the New England Sports Network have brought up the possibility of trading either captain Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen and getting value for heading into a rebuilding process early.

Despite the early struggles on the season, a rejuvenated team with Pierce back in the lineup has gone 4-1 since his return and play host to the Dallas Mavericks in the team's next game Wednesday night.

It is a new-look team, one of which has a go-to guy on the offensive end of the floor to spark things for this team.

Prior to the return of Pierce, this was a team that looked old, sluggish and entirely incapable of staying in sync on either end of the floor. With the exception of Allen, Garnett and Rajon Rondo, players were not stepping up consistently and it was costing this team wins.

It seemed as if this was going to be a season to tank, one to put in the books as a mediocre run that ended in nothing but defeat.

So if that was the case, why not trade Pierce, Garnett or Allen? Why not make a move more quickly to better the team's chances to win a championship in the future?

If Danny Ainge and the Celtics management were to decide on trading either one of the Big Three, it would inevitably ruin any title chances this Celtics team has left. Sitting at 4-4, just two games out of the division, the Celtics make a clear mistake by giving away a title chance.

What is important for a basketball fan, or any sports fan, to note about a rebuilding process is that rebuilding doesn't necessarily mean a GM or team president is guaranteed a solid team in years to come.

Rebuilding a team to win a championship is vastly different than the sole act of reorganizing a team by bringing in new, young talent.

Without Pierce for the early part of the season, this Celtics is a team of a different dynamic. With Pierce in the lineup the team went from being a bottom-five team in the league defensively to now standing at No. 8 in the league, allowing just 92.3 points per contest.

They are also an improved team scoring the basketball since his return, scoring at least 94 points in three of the team's last five contests.

During a troubling offseason and rough start to the season, those doubting the potential of this Celtics' chances this season failed to take into account the impact a player like Pierce has on this team's ability to win basketball games.

As learned with the absence of Pierce this season, without Allen, Pierce or Garnett, this is a team that will struggle mightily. Giving away a piece of the Big Three this season is undoubtedly a mistake, as it puts to rest any chances this Celtics team has left of winning a championship in the near future.