Reports: Celtics want first round pick for Pierce; looking at younger coaches

Let the rebuilding process begin.

With the Doc Rivers to the Clippers deal in place (waiting on the Clippers and Rivers to finish hammering out contract details) the Celtics have started to look around at trade options for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and they starting to think about what coach to bring in.

And in both cases, they are thinking young.

Boston is expected to pick up the $15 million option on Paul Pierce but are looking to trade him for a first round pick, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams that have expressed trade interest in Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. But sources told ESPN.com that Pierce is most likely headed to neither one of those teams if he leaves the Celtics this week.

In Cleveland’s case, owner Dan Gilbert has gave the order he is tired of being in the lottery ever year (even though they have won it two out of three years) and they are looking for players who can help the Cavs make the postseason next year. Pierce would do that, especially paired with a healthy Kyrie Irving.

The Cavaliers have two first round picks — their No. 1 overall (they are not trading that for Pierce) and the No. 19 of the Lakers. That could be a move that would interest both sides. The Bucks have the No. 15 pick.

Boston also likely will try to move Kevin Garnett this summer as well, but he has a no trade clause and has say in the matter (no, KG is not ending up with the Clippers without a change of heart in the league office). In both cases the Celtics can afford to be patient and wait for a deal they like.

The other question in Boston is who will replace Doc Rivers as head coach?

First, don’t expect a quick decision here. There are reports the Celtics could wait until after Summer League (meaning mid-July) to make a move here. Jason Terry is going to be an assistant coach for the Celtics at Summer League.

The coach the Celtics do hire may not be a name you recognize, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The Boston Celtics will consider several younger and lower-profile candidates for the franchise’s coaching vacancy, including assistant coach Jay Larranaga, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The idea is a solid one — get a younger coach to go with the younger team you are building and let them grow together.

That model works well in a smaller market such as Oklahoma City, but for one of the NBA’s premiere franchise in a market where the Celtics get a lot of scrutiny it may be harder to make work.

We’ll see how all this turns out, but one thing is clear: The rebuilding has begun.