Celtics Notes: Thomas, Ainge, Offseason

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes that Boston is indeed a marquee destination for free agents, but the team needs to be more aggressive in how it markets itself to players, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “Most of the guys that have played here love it here, and they don’t want to leave once they’re here,” Ainge said. “Not all of them are really excited about coming here when they first get here, but usually by the time they leave they love the organization and they love the city. So we need to get that word out. Some players will like it and some won’t. It’s that simple. Some players will choose sunshine over cold, but ultimately, most players want to be paid, they want an opportunity to play their game and be respected by the league, and they want an opportunity to win.”

Here’s more out of Beantown:

• Ainge also addressed point guard Isaiah Thomas‘ desire to be a starter, and pointed to past Celtics stars who embraced the sixth man role for the franchise, Bulpett notes. “Isaiah is one of the top point guards in the league, so I understand that,” Ainge said. “I think that what makes him great is he’s a driven guy who really wants to be recognized as one of the great little guys that’s ever played basketball, and I guess to encourage him to feel like he can still do that by coming off the bench, a la John Havlicek and Kevin McHale and Cedric Maxwell and many of the Celtic greats that came off the bench. But like right now for our team I think Isaiah is more suited for a bench role, but ultimately that’s Brad Stevens’ and Isaiah’s, you know, how he plays and Brad’s decisions, because Isaiah expends a ton of energy to score.“
• The Celtics’ front office isn’t sure what the trade market will hold this offseason, or if the franchise will be able to capitalize on its wealth of trade exceptions, Bulpett writes in a separate article. “I mean, all we can do is guess,” said Ainge. “We can guess like the fans can guess, but no one really knows. Hey, I don’t know. There haven’t been any talks since trade deadline. Occasionally, when you have trade-deadline conversations where the trigger wasn’t pulled on certain deals, we may have some indication of players that are available or may be available. I feel like we need to have a busy summer, and we will have a busy summer.“