The NBA trade deadline came and went Thursday without any deals for the Boston Celtics, and apparently the front office already was talking about potential moves in the offseason just under 24 hours before the clock struck 3 p.m. ET.
So if anything should give you insight into how far away the Celtics were from making a major deal, it’s that meeting the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett uncovered. But that doesn’t mean “Trader” Danny Ainge turned off his cell phone on deadline day. Far from it.
The Celtics did their due diligence and inquired into the availability of most stars, so much so that one league executive told Bulpett that, “It’s like they took the All-Star roster and used it as Match.com.”
Boston didn’t find its match before the deadline, though, and it apparently wasn’t willing to acquire a rental like Dwight Howard or Al Horford for the playoff push unless it could get the player at a bargain.
“I know that the risks were more than we were willing to do, and that’s why we didn’t do any deals obviously,” Ainge said, via the Herald. “But I think that contract length definitely plays a factor into it, security and what sort of risks you’re taking. But we also feel like there are other opportunities to have more surety in what we’re doing in what deals we’re making. We’re not in the business of making a 27-game gain for a long-term price to pay.”
The Herald previously reported that the Celtics were willing to part with their right to the Brooklyn Nets’ 2016 first-round pick for Blake Griffin, and Ainge said the pick was on the table at times during trade talks this week. But the team ultimately decided to hold onto that pick — for now.
Thumbnail photo via Russ Isabella/USA TODAY Sports Images
