It doesn’t sound like the Boston Celtics are closing in on any blockbusters deals.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was asked Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich” how active Boston is in trade talks with the deadline now three weeks away. Ainge provided a pretty vanilla response.
“Not as active as they’ve been in other trade markets. It’s still a little bit early, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of activity,” Ainge said. “There’s a little. There are some discussions going on. But not as much as some years.”
This could be executive speak, as it’s hard to imagine Ainge sounding any alarms even if the Celtics were engaged in heavy negotiations. But it’s also easy to believe, seeing as how Boston seemingly has no plans to trade from its core — Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum — and will find it difficult to match salaries in any deal of significance without trading away Gordon Hayward and/or Marcus Smart.
That said, the Celtics could use help in their frontcourt, especially looking ahead to potential playoff matchups with the Milwaukee Bucks, led by reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Philadelphia 76ers, stabilized in the middle by Joel Embiid. Perhaps the more realistic option for Ainge and Co. is to wait and see who becomes available on the buyout market.
In other words, the idea of Boston landing someone like Andre Drummond — an absolute beast on the glass — seems like a pipe dream at the moment. And there’s nothing to suggest things will change before Feb. 6.
