If you’re expecting the Boston Celtics to swing a massive deal in the coming weeks, don’t.
All eyes have been on the Celtics this season thanks to the huge trade exception they received from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets.
But thus far the C’s have not used it, and as Boston stumbles mightily, pressure from the outside has ramped up to make a big move. But during an appearance Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge explained why it might not be until the offseason when the exception used.
“The timing is important, and we would use that trade exception if the right deal came along. But I think what (owner Wyc Grousbeck) probably is saying — because we’ve talked about this a lot internally — is that the most likely scenario of a deal that we would want would come along in the offseason as opposed to the here and now. It doesn’t mean we couldn’t use portions of it at this point, but that might prevent something bigger in the offseason.”
This whole situation begs the question of if it is even worth it to use any of the exception right now given the state of the Celtics. The team as it is constructed is not going anywhere this season, and if things don’t improve over the next month, then there’s little sense in making a massive move.
So, time will tell.
