NBA trade rumor season: Expect the rumors to start up soon

We've already started hearing a number of rumblings and rumors surrounding the Celtics.  They've promised to be very active in free agency, the draft, and trades.  You can bet that those rumors will only ramp up as more teams get eliminated from the playoffs and we get closer and closer to the NBA draft.

In fact, the NBA Draft Combine is happening this weekend and a lot of GMs and team officials are going to be under the same roof.  That means chatter.

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So in addition to scouting the players, the week here can serve as a helpful chance to gather at least preliminary intelligence about potential trade partners. It is also a chance for front-office members to build relationships with one another, potentially breeding familiarity for future correspondence. "It’s definitely helpful," Celtics assistant general manager Mike Zarren said, "just for the purpose of getting a feel for what [other teams] want to do."

There probably won't be any legit trade talks until after the lottery teams know where they'll be drafting.  But the groundwork is being set.

Basically, the rumors that you'll start hearing about next week are being discussed among GMs right now.