LaMarcus Aldridge, Nikola Mirotic

FILE: Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, left, drives on Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. Aldridge scored 16 points as the Trail Blazers defeated the Bulls 105-87.

(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely believes the Boston Celtics could target a pair of Portland Trail Blazer free agents this summer, including star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

During an episode of Celtics Talk TV (below), Blakely said, "My understanding is the Celtics are going to be open to putting together some type of package deal where they would not only bring in LaMarcus Aldridge, they'd bring in one of his good friends by the name of Wes Matthews. Now, if you're the Celtics and you can put together a deal to get those two guys in town, you've gotta do it."

Though Aldridge was initially expected to stay in Portland, speculation he could leave grew over the second half of this season. By the end of the campaign, San Antonio and Dallas emerged in the rumor mill as two possible destinations.

Could the Celtics hop into the mix? They should at least gauge Aldridge's willingness to bolt for New England. Team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has said he will chase "any and everybody" who would represent a talent upgrade, and Aldridge certainly qualifies there. The 29-year-old has made the All-Star team in each of the last four seasons. This year, he averaged 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Blakely was asked to place a percentage on the likelihood top free agents land in Boston. Asked about Aldridge, the reporter said, "I'm going to go high with this one. I think there's a 35-40 percent chance that he's going to come here."

"Here's the thing about LaMarcus Aldridge," Blakely continued. "He's going to look for a situation that is going to give him the best shot of going deep in the playoffs."

Are the Celtics that? The Spurs and Mavericks are more established, of course, better stocked with talent, and located in Aldridge's home state. If the power forward chooses Boston, he would be betting on a young, improving roster, a talented coach, and a president of basketball operations who has built a winner before. Those aren't the worst things to bet on, but while all three potential suitors lost in the first round this season, Boston obviously lags behind the other two in recent success. Given the competition -- which also presumably includes Portland -- most people would not give the Celtics a 35-40 percent chance of acquiring Aldridge. He might not even be their top power forward target.

As a rugged wing with size who doubles as an elite shooter, Matthews would fit in well with what the Celtics need. His free agency could be interesting because of his recovery from a season-ending torn Achilles.