The 2017 NBA trade deadline came and went, and the Boston Celtics stayed put.
Rumors had the Celtics gearing up for a blockbuster trade, but neither Jimmy Butler nor Paul George will make their way to Boston.
Despite the trade deadline having passed, the Celtics still can make roster additions. As part of the trade deadline bonanza, several players were bought out of their contracts, making them free agents and able to sign with any team.
Several players presently on the market, including center Andrew Bogut and forward Terrence Jones, could bolster any team’s roster. However, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will be hesitant to act on any of these bought-out players, as he explained to CSNNE’s A. Sherrod Blakely on Thursday.
“We’ll weigh each guy that comes on the market and see if that can be a boost to our team,” Ainge said. “At the same time, I like our team. Bringing in new players sometimes messes up your whole chemistry, and it shifts somebody into a different role that they’re not accustomed to doing. You better know what you’re getting.”
Ainge admitted that acquiring bought-out players has worked out for the Celtics in the past, but still, he’s concerned about how that kind of move would work out in the long run.
“We brought in Michael Finley, Sam Cassell. . . PJ Brown turned out to be a very good asset to us,” Ainge said. “Most of the time it sort of disrupts things. At the end of the year, you go, ‘Wow, we probably shouldn’t have done that.’ Even though on paper it looked like a great acquisition, it wasn’t as good as everyone thought it would be.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
