Seattle N-T: Celtics Have Significance Interest In Barry

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

(Well, I'm sure the better of the Celtics draft picks would interest
Seattle, and then there's Blount or Mihm, each of them better
than the two stiffs Seattle has at center.)

Celtics interested in Barry 
FRANK HUGHES; The News Tribune 
The Boston Celtics have significant interest in Seattle SuperSonics guard Brent Barry, according to a published report in a Boston newspaper today. 
Though nothing seems imminent, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has contacted the Sonics about acquiring the injured 6-foot-6 swingman.
If Ainge cannot get Barry in a trade, the report says, he will go after him strongly via free agency this summer, when Barry's contract expires.
Ainge would prefer to acquire Barry before the Feb. 19 trading deadline so he can retain Barry's Larry Bird rights, which would allow the Celtics to offer Barry more than any other team.
However, that seems unlikely, in part because the Celtics have very little on their roster the Sonics would want.
One possibility is for the Celtics to offer injured forward Chris Mills, who makes $6.6 million and whose contract expires after this season. Because Mills will not play this season, insurance would pick up 80 percent of his salary, which means the Sonics would actually make money on the deal.
However, adding the salary to their payroll - Barry makes $5.4 million - would get the Celtics near the luxury tax threshold and they may not be willing to risk going over that.
Also, team sources say, if the Sonics are going to lose Barry, they would prefer to get an asset in return. For that reason, there is a good chance they will try to trade him if they cannot agree to terms of a contract extension before the trade deadline.