Allen a hot topic

But those same sources said Ainge is listening to offers on Allen, whose play has declined this season and whose contract will become increasingly enticing in the next eight days.

Ainge has to determine whether this current team is capable of making a title run and at the same time prevent it from getting too old while still having three major contracts - Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce - on the books.

Allen is shooting a career-low 33.8 percent from the 3-point line and logging more minutes than he has in any of his three seasons in Boston. Allen has maintained that he wants to remain here and realizes he likely would have to take a significant pay cut as a free agent.

If the Celtics trade Allen, the only way he could return is on a mid-level exception deal - approximately $5.8 million - because the Celtics still would be over the salary cap. According to the sources, Ainge is not eager to move Allen and would do so only if he could get a proven scorer with a manageable contract who is considerably younger.

A possible trade partner could be Sacramento, with shooting guard Kevin Martin, who is signed for three more years as part of a five-year, $55 million package. Martin has been an awkward fit for the Kings since the emergence of rookie Tyreke Evans. It is unclear whether Martin can mesh with a score-first point guard such as Evans.

But acquiring Martin might be contingent on accepting the contract of Andres Nocioni, who has two more years on his deal. According to Celtics sources, the organization is not interested in taking on “bad contracts’’ that could hurt salary cap space.

Also, the Kings are seeking a legitimate center to play alongside cornerstone Jason Thompson and aren’t eager to deal Martin if they can’t get one in return.

Meanwhile, ESPN.com reported that the Celtics were talking with the Charlotte Bobcats about sending Glen Davis to North Carolina for reserve point guard D.J. Augustin.

According to NBA sources, the talks have not reached the serious stage, and Ainge told the Globe Saturday that the team is satisfied with its frontcourt depth.