Celtics GM Danny Ainge is not interested in a quick-fix deal and is driving a hard bargain when it comes to his best trade assets, he said during a radio interview posted by CSNNE.com. Ainge doesn’t want any “band aids” for the final 25 regular-season games. “We’re trying to build something that’s a little more sustainable than we are to rent a player,” he said. The Celtics have the ability to dangle some tantalizing draft picks, as well as young players, to acquire the “long-term” impact player that he’s seeking. Boston has the right to swap first-rounders with the Nets this season and also owns Brooklyn’s 2018 first-rounder. Ainge says “there’s a lot of interest in” the Nets pick, though he didn’t clarify whether he was referring to one or both. “Everybody knows the assets we have and the young players we have, so that’s the challenge,” he said. “In any conversation we have, the price is a lot because of what we have in the bank.”
In other notable developments regarding the Celtics:
- Combo guard Marcus Smart‘s strong play has made Avery Bradley expendable, Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com argues. Smart has averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.0 RPG and 2.3 SPG over the past 12 games and the team has gone 11-1 during that stretch, Petraglia notes. Bradley, sidelined the last 15 games with a sore right Achilles, has one more year left on his very affordable four-year, $32MM deal and could be packaged with draft picks to land an All-Star caliber player like Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, Carmelo Anthony or Andre Drummond, Petraglia adds.
- Bradley believes he’ll be ready to go right after the All-Star break, as he told Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com and other reporters. “I’m feeling really good. I wish I could be back now, but I just have to do whatever is smartest at the moment,” Bradley said. “The medical staff thinks it’s smarter for me to just wait until after the All-Star break.”
- The team did not make a push for power forward Serge Ibaka last summer because they had no interest in signing him to a long-term deal, a source told Kyle Draper of CSNNE.com. Boston did not want to get into a bidding war for Ibaka, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Ibaka was shipped by the Thunder to the Magic in a draft-night blockbuster, and then moved by the struggling Magic this week to another Eastern Conference contender, the Raptors.
Wyc Grousbeck (Celtics owner) said something very discouraging today on Boston radio. He basically said straight up he’d be ok with not making a deal before the deadline because in the new space and pace NBA, you don’t need a star to compete. That doesn’t sound encouraging. Also, I think he’s just flat out wrong. Lebron just won a title, and it wasn’t pace and space.
I don’t think a deal for a superstar happens this season for the Celtics. I can definitely see something happening after the season though. Making a trade now would disrupt some of the chemistry and cause Stevens to likely juggle his rotation. An offseason trade will give the new player, and the rest of the team, time to create chemistry and it would be easier for Stevens to figure out some sort of rotation.
Yeah, but he almost meant more in general, like we would just draft Fultz, hope he turned out great, and burn all of our cap on resigning Thomas, Bradley, and Smart in ’18. Probably just 2 of them. And we’d just keep the current team as is. I’m hoping it’s a negotiation tactic and he does t actually believe it.
To compete no, you don’t need a superstar. To actually win… yes yes you do.
The 2004 Detroit Pistons would like a word with you…
I’d be okay with that. For one, Thomas is a superstar in the making and two, the Celtics need to address certain areas like rebounding or defense to get them over the top. Obviously a player like Boogie would be awesome, but it may be the smarter move to just go for what they need (I.E. Bogut or someone like that).
Yeah, but next year might be the last year with this current core because of Thomas, Smart, and Bradley hitting FA. If you max Thomas it’s hard to do much else. Andrew Bogut isn’t the guy that puts us into a competitive series with Cleveland. And yeah ZA, that’s what I thought. That’s why it’s concerning.
I’m not sure about that. Tristan Thompson doesn’t stick out, but he is a rebounding machine. If you want to counteract that, a rebounder helps. It isn’t so much building a team of superstars; it is about building a team that is well built and has no holes (I.e. 04 Pistons).
But constructing a roster to beat Cleveland will take another star, not just a rebounder
I think they should deal for someone like vuecevic and include rozier, keep the nets pick draft fultz and he can be the 2 with thomas as the one , you dont need to sign both thomas and bradley longterm
Lets be honest im a die hard celtics fan but trading for someone lile butler right now whats that gonna do give us a good shot against clevland but what happens then? When we face golden state in the finals what happens then? Id rather keep the pick develop fultz and brown and be a bomb squad while you still have thimas
I don’t know exactly what they are waiting for. This is the year to go for it. Injured Love, over used LeBron. Trade for Anthony Davis.
Celtics get Anthony Davis
Sixers get Jerebko & New Orlean’s 2018 top-10 protected.
Pelicans get Nerlens Noel (RFA they resign), Jaylen Brown, and Amir Johnson, Brooklyn 2017, Celtics 2019 pick.
Why would the suckers even take part in that trade for Jonas jerebko that pick will be wasted knowing the pelicans will tank w\o Davis
Sixers*
When you read the language of half these protected picks they eventually turn into something. Like the Laker’s pick has been protected, for a few years, it’s unprotected next season.
LOL, Davis is as untouchable as it gets on the market – and for that package……
Celtics have so many assets no one is untouchable. They can add to any package. They have to make a move before they resign IT4. All they need to do is keep one of Rozier/Jackson for depth.
They’d have:
Davis – until 2020
Horford – until 2020
Crowder – until 2020
Smart/Bradley – 2018
IT4 – 2018
They have the rights to the Brooklyn Picks 2017 & 2018, and rights to Memphis and LA Clippers 2019 in addition to their own.
They have Brown, Rozier, Jackson, Smart/Bradley, and contracts in Zeller, Johnson & Jerebko to trade.
Just look at players that were traded that once seemed untouchable: Deron Williams (2011) Melo (2011) Howard (2012) Love (2014). Untouchable just means we haven’t been offered the right deal and/or the player hasn’t put pressure on the FO to get out…yet.
Well, that deal is definitely not the right deal for Anthony Davis lol
Hassan Whiteside has a long term deal….
Kind of off topic but when OKC acquired Serge Ibaka years ago, what team was it from? For some reason, I remember it being either Orlando or Boston.
Ibaka was not acquired by the thunder from any team. He was drafted by the Seattle supersonic which became the thunder when the franchise moved to OKC.
Par for the course in the Eastern Conference. These teams are content draft mediocre players and wait out LeBron.
Outside a few cities, the NBA’s a complete waste of time.
Bradley, Johnson, Brown, 2018 Celtics first rounder, 2017 Brooklyn pick and 2018 Brooklyn pick for Drummond
Way too much
How so? The Brooklyn picks get the talks started. The Celtics pick will have value as a first rounder but it won’t have a heck of lot of equal value at the end of the first round when you compare its value to Drummond. Brown is a rookie who has looked good at times but he is unproven. Bradley is has been hurt so,much this year although he is a vet having a career year. He is expendable with smart playing great and the Celtics going 11-1 with smart playing Bradley’s minutes with Bradley out. And Johnson is a vet expiring contract that could help fill the void that Drummond would be leaving. He would be expendable with Drummond around.
you want to trade 3 top 3 picks for Drummond. That’s too much.
I’m not even a Celtics fan and I agree. The Celtics could probably take out that 2018 first rounder (that is theirs) and substitute Bradley for another player and still get Drummond.
I don’t know if I’d trade that for boogie or PG13
Are you being sarcastic with that Drummond trade ?
The Celtics can def get a talented all star with a package surrounding one or two of the Net’s 1st Round picks, Avery Bradley and another young player on an affordable contract.
And when I mean a talented All Star, I mean someone that is higher valued then a Kyle Korver haha.
I wasn’t suggesting korver. I was suggesting Drummond. One of the premier young rebounding /defenders in the league who is really good around the basket.
He wasn’t addressing you, jus clarifying because Korver has been to an all star game.
Wake up Danny, i don’t care who you draft, Lebron will be owning you for the next 3-5 years barring any drastic injury. Lebron has Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love with him and Isaiah sadly is alone with a well coached team but just not good enough. Lebron will rip Boston’s defense to shreds in a series and set up Love,JR,Korver, and Kyrie for 10-20 3’s a night in a series against you and get his 25-35 points.
The Problem is, the Celtics need a center.. horford needs to slide to pf and never has been a great rebounder..
Drummond would be awesome, just doesn’t fit Stevens model of a game.. they needed either ibaka or vusevic and now that ibaka is gone, I doubt the magic trade vusevic, though they should and just start rebuilding..
If they can get Noel cheap, he wouldn’t be bad either..
Just stay away, far far far away from okafor.. he isn’t worth squat..
They need someone in the middle to board and block..
Just don’t give up this years nets pick unless it’s boogie… butler isn’t worth the pick.. is he better than what we have at sf.. yes.. but to mortgage the future, he’s not that much better.. and who knows how well he gels with thomas and horford.. horford needs to shoot more as is..
I don’t like Horford tht much I think he’s overrated
Honestly, I think some of you need to have a little more faith in people. Yes, the waiting, frustration can get to anyone, but it isn’t like the Celtics don’t have a damn good team. They do. Al Horford and Isaiah Thomas are both damned good players. Do the Celtics need one more player to be on the same level as Golden State and Cleveland? Yes. But get said player or not, I think they can push Cleveland to a 6-7 game series in the eastern conference finals right now. Depending on the health of Kevin Love and whether or not they add a backup pg who can solidify the bench….the C’s stand a chance to win. The Cavs haven’t been as good this year as they were last year.
I don’t think the Kings will trade Cousins unless they are blown away by the deal. It would probably take both Nets picks + one more pick, + Bradley and one other player to get the Kings to bite on this.
I am not a fan of going to the Knicks or Bulls for anything or anyone on either team unless it is Porzingis. But that isn’t happening.
So, out of that list, I think that leaves Andre Drummond. Which I could see the Celtics going after. It fixes the rebounding issue, nobody on Cleveland’s roster can match up with him and Horford sliding over to 4 is a better matchup against Kevin Love. Drummond is not going to cost as much in terms of talent as Cousins or Butler or Anthony, but he probably delivers the same kind of impact to the team. They don’t need a 25-30 ppg scorer to compete or even beat the Cavs or Warriors. But they do need someone who gives them enough scoring and rebounding so that the Cavs and Warriors can’t double up on Thomas and ignore the rest of the team. Drummond does that. Without gutting all of the picks and depth the team has now, he probably is the best move for the Celtics.
Lebron would destroy the Celtics dude
Whiteside, Waiters, and Babbit for Rozier, 2017 Nets pick, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, and Tyler Zeller (if possible/necessary, 2019 clippers pick would be nice, but not a deal breaker as a heat fan)
Is this miles? Just wondering. Figured I’d ask lol.
I love tht trade
Celtics give up the Nets pick for this year, but pretty much only Rozier, and expiring deals for salary matching purposes, in addition. Heat get cap relief as well, and get a young player and that likely top 3 pick, as well as the one they have of their own, and the expiring deals fit to replace what they’re losing in the trade to keep them competitive. Celtics get Waiters to replace Rozier as a playmaker off the bench for the rest of the season, and obviously Whiteside addresses their need for a rim protecting big
What would it take to get Gordon Heyward from the Jazz??? Rozier, Bradley, a contract and a pick or 2?