It takes two to tango (and to make an NBA trade), and Danny Ainge apparently wasn’t able to find someone — or anyone — to bite.
The Boston Celtics president of basketball operations watched yet another trade deadline come and go last week without making any moves whatsoever. Unsurprisingly, Ainge blamed the market for his team’s inactivity, saying he had some conversations but ultimately was unable to find the right trade partner.
One team Ainge did zero in on, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, was the Washington Wizards. Specifically, Ainge and his team reportedly tried to pry Davis Bertans out of D.C., but nothing was doing.
“The Celtics were out there looking for a little of everything: Bench help, perimeter shooting (wasn’t everyone) and some size in the frontcourt,” Mannix wrote Tuesday morning. “They aggressively pursued Washington’s Davis Bertans, willing to go deep into the draft war chest to pry Bertans loose.”
Obviously, those attempts were unsuccessful, and Mannix notes the Wizards hope to keep Bertans in the fold to play alongside Bradley Beal and John Wall next season. Best of luck there.
Of course, the Celtics weren’t alone in their Bertans bust, either.
Scott Brooks on Davis Bertans: "It’s funny. 29 teams wanted him yesterday, but one team REALLY wants him."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 8, 2020
Again, you can’t make a trade if another team isn’t willing to do business. Ainge might have tried, and perhaps he was willing to part with any number of the Celtics’ three 2020 first-round draft picks. Ainge indicated they were willing to move those picks, but he acknowledged some teams value them more or less than other clubs.
Be that as it may, there definitely has been a pattern for Ainge and the Celtics at the deadline. Almost every year, we hear in the days and weeks leading up to the deadline that Boston wants to do something. On deadline day itself, we hear the Celtics are in on things. Then 3 p.m. comes and goes without anything happening, and the reports that follow are much like this one: They were in on a bunch of things but nothing came together.
If you’re a Celtics fan, though, this one might sting a little more than years past, as the NBA is wide open this season and Boston will have to go at it with its current roster, barring a move on the buyout market.
