The minimum? I doubt it.

Josh Howard is among the free agents the Celtics are interested in, according to Danny Ainge, but it seems almost impossible to acquire Howard. The Celtics come armed with only the vet’s minimum ($1.146 million) or some sort of creative trade likely involving Rasheed Wallace’s contract… but Howard can’t be traded until December. (NBA.com)

After using its mid-level exception on free agent Jermaine O’Neal, and not being able to use its biannual exception after using it on Marquis Daniels last season, the Celtics would only be able to offer Howard the veteran’s minimum of $1.146 million for next season.

Boston would like to use the contract of Rasheed Wallace, who has told the Celtics he will retire, to get a trade exception. If Boston sends Wallace’s contract to another team — which could remove the salary from its cap as long as Wallace stays retired — for a draft pick, the Celtics could get a trade exception for as much as the $6.3 million Wallace was due to receive.

The problem for Boston is that even if it could get that exception, the Wizards can’t execute a trade involving Howard until December under collective bargaining rules.

So how else could the C’s get Howard? Beg him to come for the min and pay him all-you-can-smoke under the table? I just don’t see a deal happening. I didn’t realize he couldn’t be traded for that long.

Is Howard worth it?

I was confused at first when the C’s failed to keep Tony Allen around. But after seeing their final offer to him, a lame two-year, $5.2 million offer that never had any chance of being signed, I am more convinced than ever that Danny Ainge has some sort of backup plan. 

The C’s wouldn’t have just let TA go, not when they’re only armed with minimum offers, unless Ainge is ready to get creative to bring in a backup small forward via a sign-and-trade or other such wizardry.

I guess creative is how the only way to describe having serious interest in Josh Howard, who would only be available through a sign-and-trade. (Yahoo!)

The Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls have shown “serious interest” in free-agent forward Josh Howard, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

While the Bulls could have the salary-cap space to sign Howard, depending on what happens with their offer sheet to J.J. Redick, the Celtics would need a sign-and-trade to make a deal because they have already used their midlevel exception on Jermaine O’Neal.

Howard used to be very good. Hell, he was an All-Star once upon a time. But that was then, this is now. Now there are all kinds of red flags waving around Howard. 1) Not only is he a pothead, but he’s also dumb enough to admit it. 2) He took a ginormous step backwards last season (or two steps, or maybe even three). 3) He tore his ACL in Ferbuary and it’s not even 100% that he’ll be ready by training camp.

As you can see, this would be a huge-risk, big-reward type of deal. Because yeah, Howard’s a washed-up pothead with a torn ACL who despises the national anthem, but perhaps there’s a chance that last year was a fluke and he didn’t really turn from All-Star to bum quicker than you could say “marijuana.” As recently as 2008-’09, Howard averaged 18 points and 5 boards while shooting 45% from the floor. So maybe there’s hope for him yet.

But is he worth all that risk?