Here’s What Danny Ainge Had To Say About Celtics’ Trade Deadline Inactivity

The Boston Celtics had the same roster after the NBA Trade Deadline as they did before.

Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline came and went, and the Celtics did not end up making any moves. They were linked to a handful of players, but nothing seemed to get too close to being completed.

Shortly after the deadline passed, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge spoke to NBC Sports Boston about the inactivity.

“We reached out more than we had calls coming in,” Ainge said. “We were looking to do a few things that fell through the cracks, and I don’t think anything came close — although you never really know what’s close and what’s not. But we were very active, I feel good about where we are today in that we didn’t do some of the deals that might’ve been tempting.

“You’ve got to find good deals, that’s ultimately what it’s all about. It’s not about making deals, it’s about making good deals. And I remember Red Auerbach told me one time on my first year on the job, he said the best trades ‘I ever made were the ones I didn’t make.’ And that actually has stuck with me.”

It very clearly was a seller’s market this year, so getting any sort of impact player likely would have required the Celtics to send a steep return out. As such, one has to think Ainge either is comfortable with the team he has, or feels he can find a difference-maker in the buyout market.