Danny Ainge tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Rajon Rondo is “absolutely” the centerpiece to the Celtics’ rebuilding project. Also, just as we had heard yesterday, Ainge confirmed that the team plans to keep the roster to 14 guaranteed contracts in order to stay under the luxury tax (Twitter links). Here are a few more noteworthy links to share out of Boston tonight:
- When asked about the approaching deadline regarding a potential contract extension for Avery Bradley, Ainge told Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston that he’s currently in negotiations with the 6’2 guard, which suggests that a new deal could still be reached before October 31st (Twitter links). Forsberg notes that this is a considerable change in stance compared to earlier this summer, when Ainge said he planned to curb contract talks until Bradley hit restricted free agency during the 2014 offseason.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter) notes that Ainge admitted to being in contract talks with Bradley’s camp but chose not to elaborate on where those discussions currently stand.