Shaq Wants To Be A Celtic

Posted by Zach Lowe on Jul 23, 2010 929093 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F07%2F23%2Fshaq-wants-to-be-a-celtic%2FShaq+Wants+To+Be+A+Celtic2010-07-24+03%3A10%3A55Zach+Lowehttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D9290

So reports Tim Povtak NBA FanHouse:

Veteran free agent center Shaquille O’Neal – the future Hall of Famer without a team — has been lobbying the Boston CelticsNBA championship aggressively, still trying to convince them that his addition would help their quest to win another

And:

Although O’Neal was unavailable for comment Friday, two sources close to him confirmed his continued interest in the Celtics, even though they currently have no room, or exceptions, under the salary cap to pay him beyond the NBA veteran’s minimum of $1.35 million.

The Celtics could pay him more, but only if his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, helped with a sign-and-trade deal.

“He only wants to go to a team with a chance to win it all,” one source said. “That’s a short list. Even for the money, he’s not going to a non-contender.”

The obvious trade candidate would be Rasheed Wallace’s contract plus a cheap asset that might appeal to Cleveland, such as Avery Bradley or a future first-round pick.

I’ve said enough on Shaq here and here. Suffice it to say I’m not convinced he’s a helpful part at this point in his career. I am convinced that he is not worth $6 million or $7 million, particularly to a team that will be paying the luxury tax.