The day before Rajon Rondo returned to play his former team last week, Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green sat on the sidelines at the team's training facility and was asked what it might be like to have to play a former team so soon after changing jerseys.

"I don't want to know how that feels because I don't want to be traded," said Green.

Whether he wants it or not, Green's name crested in trade rumors early on Thursday morning with rumbles that the Memphis Grizzlies are actively trying to obtain Green -- or Miami's Luol Deng -- to bolster their wing position before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

In case you were wondering, the Grizzlies visit Boston on March 11.

That Green is in the rumors shouldn't be surprising at all. As emphasized by the Rondo trade, the Celtics remain in rebuilding mode and have not tried to mask their desire to turn veteran talent into future assets.

The 28-year-old Green has a player option for next season valued at $9.2 million, but might be more inclined to dive into the free-agent market in search of a lucrative longer-term deal. That essentially makes him an expiring contract and Boston is performing its due diligence by gauging the market on a player that could walk away at season's end without compensation.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge steers clear of public chatter about rumors, but when he was asked during his weekly appearance on Boston sports radio Thursday about the rumblings about Green, he offered, "It’s that time of year and there are going to be a lot of rumors, especially when you’re a team that has won 12 games. Jeff Green's name is all over the [media] today. I guess Jeff is the new Rondo for our team."

Yes and a contender seeking an in-season power-up can almost certainly secure Green for the same future first-round pick that highlighted Dallas' trade package for Rondo. A team like Memphis can shop now and beat the February rush (hey, that Courtney Lee deal worked out pretty well, didn't it Griz?), or roll the dice that a steep asking price will dip as the deadline nears.

Ainge certainly did his best to sell Green to the rest of the league.

"Jeff has been our best player this year, and he has had a fantastic year," Ainge said on 98.5 the Sports Hub. "[Wednesday] night, he didn’t have a good game, he got in foul trouble early, but he hit two big shots to seal the victory down the stretch. He has been our most consistent scorer."

You can quibble with the use of "fantastic," but Ainge told the truth. Green has averaged a team- and career-best 17.6 points per game this season. Despite a dip in his 3-point shooting (he's near a career low -- rookie season excluded -- at 30.5 percent beyond the arc this year), Green has shot nearly 50 percent inside the arc. Fourteen times this season, Green has topped the team in scoring with 10 games of 20+ points.

Green made us all wonder earlier in the year if he'd finally found the consistency he was so often criticized for lacking. He had reached double figures in scoring in 33 consecutive regular-season games (including the first 25 this season) before that streak ended soon after the Rondo trade.

Since that Rondo swap, Green has averaged 13 points on 38 percent shooting over the past 10 games. Boston's offensive rating is an anemic 93.4 points per 100 possessions with Green on the court since the Rondo deal, the second worst mark on the team among regulars (only Brandon Bass has a worse rating in that span).

Not that Green's numbers were particularly glossy even when Rondo was here. We've often noted a career pattern that Green's teams simply don't thrive when he's on the floor. The Celtics had always hoped to determine if that was simply an anomaly and whether Green would thrive with a talented group around him on a contending team.

Now, maybe Memphis or another playoff-bound squad can answer that lingering question.

There's no denying Green's talent. He's perfect as a third offensive option on a contending team, giving him even more room to showcase his talents. He can score the basketball, but you always come away wondering if he could do more with his size and athleticism.

Here's Green's stat line over the past five games: 10 points on 31.7 percent shooting (14.3 percent beyond the 3-point arc) with 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 turnovers. Green does not have a single offensive rebound in that span and has three times been held to single-digit scoring. The Celtics are a team-worst minus-27 during his 152 minutes of floor time in that span.

By all accounts, Green is a tremendous person who has endeared himself greatly to the people around him. Away from the microphones and television cameras, he's often all smiles while joking with his teammates, routinely interrupting their interviews, or jumping on Gerald Wallace's back for some post-practice grappling.

And while he's been cast as emotionless for his media demeanor, Green truly does seem to care about winning. Even when he was playing some of his best individual ball earlier in the year, he lamented the fact that the Celtics were struggling. But he's not built to be the lone leader of a team or the focal point of an offense; he simply cannot thrive in those roles.

And so Green's talents have never quite translated in Boston. There are intriguing young options behind him now at the swingman spot and, particularly while the Celtics navigating this rebuild, fans are clamoring to see more of Jae Crowder's hustle and James Young's potential.

Ainge won't give Green away. That's bad business. But it's clear that -- whether Green wants to be traded or not -- it might be beneficial for the future of both sides to move on.

A change of scenery could help both Green and the Celtics. Even if it means Green will indeed have to find out what it's like to come back to Boston so soon after a trade.