2:30 P.M. – Update, via Jason Lloyd: “With roughly 30 mins left, #Cavs and Bos still far apart on Anthony Parker. Anything can change at last minute, but Cavs look to be done.”

2:25 P.M. – Update, via Ken Berger: “With the Celtics and Bulls still in the hunt for Anthony Parker, source says two Western Conf. dark horses have emerged.”

2:15 P.M. – Update, via Adrian Wojnarowski: “Cavaliers are down to wire taking bids on Anthony Parker, with Boston still in the mix.”

2:00 P.M. – Update, via Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio: “Lots of chatter that Cavs guard Anthony Parker could be on way to Celtics. Not sure just yet how authentic it is.”

11:50 A.M. – Update, via Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal: “One offer on table: AP to Celts for Marquis Daniels. Cavs would buy him out, send him back to Bos. But Cavs want Bos #1 [draft pick] next yr for helping.”

The Boston Celtics could be looking to send Marquis Daniels to Cleveland in exchange for Anthony Parker. (Ken Berger, CBS Sports)

Not having much luck dangling Nate Robinson and pick for wing upgrade, Celtics now trying to use Marquis Daniels’ contract, sources say.

Daniels, out with a neck injury, could be bought out by Cavs with cash from Celtcs in a deal for Anthony Parker, sources say.

Do you know how I know I’m not sold on Anthony Parker? When I think about the Celtics trading for him, I inevitably find myself back at, “Maybe the C’s are better off just sticking with Von Wafer.”

Parker’s okay, though. And he’s got more size than Wafer. And he’s a good three-point shooter. And he’s smart. And he knows his role. And I’m trying to talk myself into Parker — I mean, I’m REALLY trying here — but it’s just not working. Anthony Parker does nothing to whet my interest, even if he’s really not bad, pretty intelligent and might even provide (probably even provides?) an upgrade.

I’m still praying for Battier or Dudley, or a similar difference-maker, but when your best trade pieces are A) a mostly-awful, 5’9″ point guard who isn’t really a point guard, B) an injured player with a $2.5 million expiring contract and a pre-existing spinal cord condition, C) a terrible first-round pick in an awfully thin draft, and D) a 24-year old Turkish rookie with an 11.19 PER, finding a truly quality piece takes a miracle.

Say your prayers with me, folks. Danny Ainge could use them.

Kendrick Perkins, who was diagnosed with a strained MCL and originally expected to miss at least the next three games, could return during the C’s road trip.

Hold on, I’m a little confused. Isn’t “I’m a celtic, man” the reason Perk was hurt in the first place, rather than the reason he might return on this trip?

Dudley.

Jared Dudley will not be traded from the Phoenix Suns, according to David Aldridge. (NBA.com)

A team source tells TNT’s David Aldridge that the Phoenix Suns will not trade forward Jared Dudley before today’s deadline. Several teams gave been trying to get Dudley, including the Celtics and Rockets.

I guess that leaves Boston out of the running, eh?

But, hey! The Celtics would be interested in signing Jason Kapono if (and when?) he receives a buyout. Even though Kapono can’t even crack the rotation in Philly, shooters will always draw interest.

The Celtics have “dangled Nate Robinson and a first-round pick” in hopes of luring Jared Dudley to Boston, reports Adrian Wojnarowski. But, in Wojnarowski’s words, it “isn’t the most appealing package on market to get a talented perimeter player.”

What, you mean Phoenix isn’t intrigued by the combination of a 5’9 player who’s been mostly awful this season and one of the last first-round picks in a weak draft?

Boston, Chicago and several more would love to pry Jared Dudley out of Phoenix, sources say. Suns can’t dump Childress deal, need money off.

Dudley is a popular player in Phoenix, beloved by organization. Several GM’s are dubious Suns would part with him. Need an excellent offer.

Celtics have dangled Nate Robinson and 1st round pick, which isn’t the most appealing package on market to get a talented perimeter player.

To be clear on Celts, I’m told they haven’t checked on Dudley very recently. No sense Suns will move him, but he has great value to teams.

Would Dudley fit well in Boston? Let’s go to the check list.

Good shooter? Check.

Consistent player? Check.

Tough defender? Check.

Selfless team player? Check.

Natural small forward? Check.

There’s only one problem trading for Dudley would present — his contract extends until 2014-’15, with a player option for 2015-’16. Other than that, he’s almost perfect. Except for the simple fact that, well, it’s unlikely the Celtics have enough to entice the Suns to let Dudley go. The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro even reported the Suns “went into Wednesday night thinking there was no chance they would make a deal.”

Marquis Daniels may need surgery that would require him to miss the rest of the season. (CSNNE)

“There is a chance that he will miss the season and may need surgery to resume his playing career,” Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, told CSNNE.com Wednesday night. “We’re still gathering information, but that’s where we’re at.”

Doc Rivers has previously cautioned that Daniels would be out for a while, but this is the first time the Celtics have openly admitted Daniels could miss the entire season. If he does miss the whole season (and, really, even if he can return in time for the playoffs), adding small forward help becomes more crucial than ever.

“Right now, we’re just kind of waiting, listening to what other teams have to say, fielding calls and just kind of going from there,” Ainge said.

“We don’t have a lot of assets to trade,” Ainge told CSNNE.com. “So whoever we get, it’ll be a good player who can help us, but it’s not going to be a great, superstar player or anything like that.”

Some of the more talked-about names include Cleveland’s Anthony Parker, Los Angeles Clippers forward Rasual Butler and Indiana’s Dahntay Jones. The Celtics are also hopeful that if a trade doesn’t work out, they might be able to add a player who receives a buyout. Two of the more talked-about options along those lines are Detroit’s Richard Hamilton and Troy Murphy, who was recently traded from New Jersey to Golden State. The Warriors are expected to buy Murphy out.

Which brings me to a question: What if the Celtics DON’T add anyone at the trade deadline, or in a buyout move later on? Would you be okay with that?

I think I would. I’d love to add a difference-maker, of course. The thought of Shane Battier in Green makes me feel like a nine-year old on Christmas morning. But not everyone available makes a difference. The Celtics don’t have a lot to offer, and, as Ainge said, they could add a good player, but definitely not a great, superstar player or anything like that.

Look, I’m not thrilled about the thought of Von Wafer defending Lebron James either. But let’s face it: It’s not like Anthony Parker, Rasual Butler, Sasha Pavlovic, Jason Kapono, Morris Peterson or Richard Hamilton would have any better chance (Dahntay Jones and Shane Battier, on the other hand, defend the ball quite well). You can’t just stop Lebron James with one player, especially if that one player can be traded for with limited assets or added through a buyout scenario.

Would entering the stretch run with zero natural backup small forwards be ideal? Of course not. But Wafer has proven himself adequate at pretending to be a small forward, and the Celtics’ roster — as it stands right now — is capable of winning an NBA championship. Would those chances improve with a Battier or Richard Hamilton coming off the bench? Of course. But would they improve because Anthony Parker or Rasual Butler take Wafer’s minutes? I’m not so sure they would.

There’s always something a team can improve. The Celtics could use a small forward, in theory, as long as he’s not Sasha Pavlovician. They could also use an extra big man, if Kendrick Perkins intends to be injured for any extended period of time. But they can win with the players they have now, and we shouldn’t forget that if the deadline comes and goes with no deal.

P.S. – Jermaine O’Neal, says Danny Ainge, hopes to return in March (“probably the latter part of March”). That would give O’Neal a month or so to ready himself for the playoffs. But if I’ve learned one thing from the Jermaine O’Neal era, it’s this: expect to push back that return date.

P.P.S. – This is kind of random, but why would Troy Murphy ever want to sign with Boston, rather than Miami or Orlando? In Orlando, he’d be the only big, viable option off the bench. In Miami, he’d play certain minutes. In Boston? He might earn a DNP-CD every single night. If I’m Troy Murphy, I immediately head to one of the Florida teams. He’ll love the warm weather (though I’m sure he still won’t get much of a tan), and could finally play minutes for a contender. Heading to Boston, just to play behind Boston’s glutton of big men, makes no sense.

The Boston Celtics have been very active in trade discussions the past few days, but could wait until after the trade deadline to add a player whose contract gets bought out. (Boston Herald)

The club is still seeking help on the wing, and as the cell phone traffic eased last night, it was looking more and more likely that the C’s will get their man after today’s NBA trade deadline when players who don’t get dealt are bought out.

Sources say its quite possible an acquisition will come from a group that includes Jason Kapono, Sasha Pavlovic, Rasual Butler and Morris Peterson. But if those players are indeed in line for a buyout, it’s also true their current teams will be looking to include them in deals before it gets to that.

The garbage heap beckons, which reminds me: the Celtics roster really doesn’t need much improvement. Maybe it’d be nice to have an extra big man, but Shaq (and maybe even Jermaine O’Neal) will return to health at some point. It’d definitely be nice to add another backup small forward, but Von Wafer has really stepped up his game and — hey, who knows? — maybe Marquis Daniels will even come back at some point. Delonte West adds versatility, and takes pressure off Nate Robinson (who certainly needed some sort of pressure reliever, and maybe a sports shrink too).

But if the C’s added Kapono, Pavlovic, Butler or Peterson, would any of them become part of the rotation? Seriously. Kapono can shoot the lights out, but he’s a God awful defender. Pavlovic, to be nice, is absolutely, 100% miserable at basketball. Peterson’s a lot more like 2010 Michael Finley than I’d like him to be. And Butler, though solid through most of his career, is shooting 32.1% (that’s not a typo) this season. Are any of those players, despite their ability to naturally play small forward, an upgrade over Von Wafer? No, no, no and no.

The Celtics don’t need much help, but they wouldn’t get ANY from the candidates the Boston Herald is talking about. One name to keep an eye on? Shane Battier. Chris Mannix and A. Sherrod Blakely reported that Battier to Boston isn’t happening, but recent reports hint that Houston may have lowered its demands for Battier. (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

The Grizzlies had serious discussions Wednesday with the Houston Rockets regarding a proposed deal that would swap second-year center Hasheem Thabeet for forward Shane Battier.

A deal would hinge on Memphis’ willingness to also include a future first-round draft pick in its bid to reunite with Battier. The Griz failed in their initial attempt to acquire Battier earlier this year and may try to enlist a third team to avoid sending the Rockets a pick.

A Thabeet-for-Battier trade doesn’t work straight up, so salary filler would have to be involved (Hamed Haddadi, anyone?). But that’s not my point. My point is: Semih Erden’s a more valuable trade chip than Thabeet, right? Or am I wrong here?

In the words of Zach Lowe, “It is impossible to exaggerate how awful Hasheem Thabeet has been in the NBA.” He has done literally nothing during his NBA career, nor has he shown any skill (besides height and length, which don’t count as skills) that could make him a legitimate NBA player in the future. That’s not opinion. That’s fact, unless you look at draft busts through the twisted eyes of David Kahn.

Meanwhile, Erden has shown some promise during his limited time. He hasn’t always produced at a phenomenal rate, but he has skills and basketball know-how Thabeet couldn’t even dream of. If the Rockets truly were serious about sending Battier away for Thabeet, wouldn’t a package including Semih Erden make Boston a better location? Or am I looking at Erden, a 24-year old rookie who still hasn’t accomplished anything of note in his NBA career, with homer goggles?

Of course, Kendrick Perkins’ injury makes Erden less expendable than ever. So maybe the C’s pass on Battier, even if he’s available. Ahh, who knows? Trade season gives me a headache.