NBA Rumors: Dennis Schroeder: Celtics "Aren't Looking To Just Give Him Away"

It's well known that the Boston Celtics are trying to get under the luxury tax. It's also been considered a given that they'll try to deal Dennis Schroder before tomorrow's deadline, as they will likely be unable to match the free agent-to-be's contract demands this offseason.

But not so fast. Reports are circulating that the Celtics "aren’t just looking to give him away."

“He’s been playing well, and he’s been a good part of what they’re doing lately,” one league exec. told Heavy.com. “I still think they might prefer to move him, but now they’re looking for an asset in return. They don’t feel like they HAVE to trade him now, and they’d like to turn him into an asset for next year.”

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated says the Celts "have shifted from seller to buyer" in recent days. Boston has won 6 straight, and are 8-1 in their last 9, to get back into the mix to escape the Play-In in the East.

"Teams that have discussed deals with the Celtics," writes Mannix, "say Boston is looking for a player and draft capital for Schröder."

Several teams interested in Schroder

We've reported on a couple of Schroder trade options this week, most notably the Milwaukee Bucks and Dante DiVincenzo seems to have some traction as we enter the final 24 hours of trade talks. Mannix indicates that Cleveland and Dallas could still be interested as well, as are the Chicago Bulls.