Report: Celtics 'ready to move on' from Kevin Love, possibly become 3rd-team facilitator

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As offers continue to escalate for Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love, the Boston Celtics are apparently backing away from the proceedings.

An early player in the trade discussions - primarily before the draft, when they had more picks to offer - the Celtics are now looking at other ways to improve the roster, according to a report from CSNNE.

From the report:

There's no waiving of the white flag just yet, but the Boston Celtics appear to be ready to move on from their pursuit of Minnesota star Kevin Love, league sources tell CSNNE.com.

"The more teams step up and show interest in Love, the further Boston falls in the pack," a source said on Wednesday. "Danny's a smart guy. He knows when to keep pushing for something and when to move on."

That's why the Celtics are reportedly among the clubs to express some interest in being a third team to help facilitate a trade involving Love to what one source said has become his "preferred" destination, Cleveland.

The move makes sense, even if some Celtics fans may cringe at helping the Cavaliers land Love. Boston should be worried about improving their own team as best they can, and if they can help the Cavs and Wolves consummate a deal and pick up a useful player or draft pick in the process, that's valuable in the long run.

Of course, as Eye on Basketball points out, it's not as if Celtics general manager Danny Ainge hasn't used the media as a means of helping his cause in the past, so this news could be meant to influence the dynamics of the market.