Philadelphia 76ers

Report: Possibility of Celtics signing JaVale McGee not 'totally slammed shut'

Published May. 21, 2015 2:43 p.m. ET

foxsports

Back at the trade deadline, there were rumors the Celtics might acquire perennially jeered center JaVale McGee. But those rumors never materialized, and McGee was traded from Denver to Philadelphia until he was eventually waived by the 76ers.

Now, there's JaVale talk in Boston once again, even if it is pretty subtle. From CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely:

Despite the failed efforts by both sides to hammer out a deal earlier, the door hasn’t been totally slammed shut on the two coming together once again and seal a deal this time.

The sticking point previously was the Celtics’ desire to have a team option following the 2015-2016 season while McGee’s camp instead wanted a player option.

Boston’s salary cap situation this summer coupled with the league’s overall salary cap improvement the following year could pave the way for a two-year deal with McGee having an option to explore free agency in 2016 when many teams are expected to have substantial cap space to spend courtesy of the league’s new national TV deal kicking in.

The Celtics would be gambling that a good, successful season in Boston both individually and with the team, could be enough to entice the 27-year-old to want to sign a long-term deal.

McGee has played only 28 games over the past two years. At this point, he's probably best-known for his constant appearances on Shaqtin' a Fool over on TNT.

(H/t to Jay King at MassLive for the find.)