Boston Celtics Trade Rumors: Celtics Must Wait Until Offseason to Rebuild

The Boston Celtics sit at 19-17 and are in seventh place in the East, but almost everyone expects the front office to blow the team up before the March 15 trade deadline.

It may seem crazy for a potential playoff team to turn into "sellers," but the odds of Boston beating the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat in a seven-game series are next to none. 

With Kevin Garnett, 36, and Ray Allen, 35, hitting free agency after the season, it's only logical to start rebuilding now.

But according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, rebuilding might not be so easy.

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So Ainge would be out of his mind not to see what every player in his employ would fetch. It’s also fair to assume he’s been doing that all along—and according to multiple league sources, there just hasn’t been much call for the Big Three.

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It's without a doubt the correct decision to shop Garnett and Allen, but if no one is willing to give up anything for them, the Celtics shouldn't panic and make a deal for nothing. 

At the very least, Boston won't be forced to sell low or take on any contracts they don't want. They'll be able to rid themselves of Garnett and Allen's contracts after the season—or sign them to a small, one-year contract—and go after some young free agents.

OK. So there we go. Keeping Garnett and Allen for the rest of the season isn't ideal, but it isn't the worst thing in the world if Boston is going to rebuild anyways.

End of story, right?

Well, it probably should be, but then Danny Ainge and the Celtics started talking about how they were shopping Rajon Rondo.

Rondo's value right now just can't be overstated, and trading him would be a huge mistake.

The former Kentucky Wildcat is one of the best point guards in the league. He has an extremely poor jump shot, but makes up for it by establishing himself as a top passer (10.2 APG) and defender (1.7 SPG). He also rebounds like a small forward (5.4 RPG).

Despite the poor shooting, he still scores 14.3 points per contest.

On top of filling up the stat sheet every night, Rondo is just 26 years old and is under contract until 2015.

When you are trying to rebuild your team, you want to trade for guys like Rondo, not get rid of him.

The Boston Celtics are in no-man's land right now. If they stay put, they are likely looking at a first-round loss, but if they make a trade then they are likely going to do it out of desperation.

Sometimes it's better to just stay put, and this is that time.