Oh, was the potential for a Goran Dragic/Isaiah Thomas move not enough to make this trade deadline intriguing for you?
The agent for Oklahoma City guard Reggie Jackson has asked general manager Sam Presti to trade his client before Thursday’s NBA deadline, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
CAA’s Aaron Mintz made the request in the past seven to 10 days, and several teams around the league became aware as officials probed for information on potentially dealing for Jackson, league sources said.
Jackson is in a different boat than others because he’s a restricted free agent this summer. The team trading for him acquires the right to match offers this summer, and thus doesn’t run the same threat of “renting” him they would with Dragic.
Now… what Jackson does not have is the same starting track record as Dragic. He has played well enough as a starter to be intriguing to teams who need a starting PG. He’s also 24, which makes him a younger, cheaper option than some of the other PG’s out there.
How much does Jackson change the landscape of the next 25 hours? It’s hard to say. The Celtics are still, apparently, in the Dragic mix…
Yahoo Sources: Suns much more focused on discussing Dragic deals w/ Celtics, Rockets, Kings, among others, than any teams on guard’s list.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 18, 2015
Now that a younger, cheaper option is on the market, you have to wonder if Phoenix’s leverage is further eroded. They now have a point guard that definitely wants out, and the teams that could vie for his services could just turn their attention to OKC… a team, by the way, that’s heavily influenced by the luxury tax threshold and who might be open to structuring a less expensive deal than the Suns.
Yes, Dragic is a better starting PG, but Jackson plays well enough as a starter to give a team pause. If the price gets driven down enough, the Celtics might… MIGHT… have enough other sweeteners (aka draft picks) to become more than a dark-horse possibility for Dragic.
Of course… WHY you go for Dragic if you’re the Celtics is something that’s still up for debate.
