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Report: Celtics Continue To Show 'Strong Interest' In Davis Bertans

BOSTON (CBS) -- Rumors are swirling about the Celtics' trade interest in Clint Capela, but the Rockets big man isn't the only center that Boston is discussing ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The Celtics continue to express interest in Wizards big Davis Bertans, and may be able to convince Washington to deal their sharpshooter before the trade buzzer sounds at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

This isn't the first time we've heard about the Celtics being interested in Bertans, but SI's Chris Mannix writes that Boston is showing "strong interest" in the 27-year-old Latvian in his latest piece ahead of the deadline. The Wizards don't seem to be very interested in giving up Betrans at the moment, but the Celtics may be able to pry his 6-foot-10 frame out of the nation's capital with their collection of draft picks.

"Washington has effectively hung up on teams looking to extract Bertans, but Boston could make things interesting if they throw a pick or two into the pot," Mannix wrote Tuesday. "Because really … what are they holding on to them for?"

The Celtics will likely have three picks in June's draft: Their own selection, Memphis's top pick (1-6 protected) and Milwaukee's first-round selection. The Memphis pick is the only one that figures to have any real value in what is perceived as a weak draft, and that value is diminishing with the Grizzlies sitting in the eight-seed in the Western Conference at 25-25 for the season. And with a packed roster already, and many of their players signed next season, the last thing the Celtics need to do in June is add three more young players to the mix.

Bertans and his 42.9 shooting percentage from downtown would be a great fit off the Boston bench, which has struggled from beyond the arc this season. Bertans is averaging 15 points and 4.6 rebounds off the Washington bench this season, and doing so with a modest $7 million price tag. He'll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

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