Danny Ainge was less than 12 hours removed from the 2015 NBA Draft on Friday morning, and as you might imagine, he was tired. However, he wasn’t frustrated.
The Boston Celtics president of basketball operations made it no secret that he was looking to move up in the draft Thursday night. Instead, the Celtics ultimately held all four of their draft picks — including their two first-round selections — and disappointed many fans who hoped they’d jump into the lottery.
After a night of sleep, Ainge sounded OK with how things turned out for Boston.
“In hindsight, the next day, it’s probably a good thing (that the Celtics didn’t make a trade),” Ainge said Friday morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “We were probably going to spend too much to do what we needed to do, This morning, I wake up and I’m refreshed that we got guys that we like but also that we didn’t overspend for some of the players that were in the draft — actually, just basically one player we were chasing that we thought we had a realistic chance at.”
Ainge didn’t reveal who that player was, but he certainly made it sound like Celtics were close to making moves. However, their potential trading partner(s) ultimately decided to stand pat and make their picks.
“They (the future draft picks) are worth a lot, (but) I think the draft is probably the time where they’re least valuable, simply because people get so caught up in players,” Ainge said. “Without mentioning names, there are some players that were drafted at certain spots (by teams) that turned down lots of draft picks that I just don’t think was smart on their part.
“On draft day, typically those are hard deals to move. People get so caught up and get so in love with a specific player that that player in their minds becomes bigger than life.”
Ainge admitted Thursday night during his media availability that he doesn’t plan on keeping all four draft selections.
Hear the entire interview below.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
