Zach Lowe predicts Jeff Green will be traded (and Rondo won't)

Grantland's Zach Lowe writes that the Celtics have tested the market for both Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green over the course of the past year, and he predicts they will hold on to Rondo but move on from Uncle Jeff.

Lowe says, as expected, the Celtics have asked for a huge return for Rondo, but no team as of yet has been desperate enough to meet Danny Ainge's lofty asking price. Lowe seems to think that the best course of action for the Celtics is to keep Rondo and see if he can help recruit another star to Boston.

The news on Jeff Green is a little more surprising. Lowe mentions that Green is quite popular among NBA GMs, naming almost a quarter of the league as potential landing spots for the forward, including New Orleans, Washington, Toronto, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, and New York. Lowe writes:

"He's a likable guy with more fans across the league than you might expect, and he can split minutes between the two forward positions...We know now that Green isn't a primary offensive option, but he has become a good spot-up shooter, he runs the floor, and he's a nice secondary threat. He can attack gaps in the defense, provided a teammate cracks them open first."

Green has a player option for the 2015-16 season, which Lowe says could mean he is working on a "de facto expiring contract." However, that may not necessarily be the case. It may be in Green's best interest to opt into his deal for 15-16 and wait to sign his new contract after that season, when the cap will rise in accordance with the new TV deal.

Jeff Green has long been criticized for his lack of consistency here in Boston, but Lowe has written multiple times that the Georgetown product has plenty of interest across the league, and actually says, "he'll be easy to move," if the Celtics are so inclined. As we saw this summer with Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons, teams will pay a premium for wing guys who can get to the rim, shoot, and defend.

With Danny pulling the strings, anything can happen. He will surely be asking for a lot, but if Green will fetch the right return, he won't hesitate to make a move.