Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge appeared at a press conference on Friday morning, and while the presser was ostensibly intended to introduce first-round pick Robert Williams, Ainge also touched on several other topics related to his team’s offseason.
Here, via Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com and Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald, are a few of Ainge’s more noteworthy comments:
On the possibility of making a blockbuster trade:
“If I feel like it’ll help our team, we explore every trade of certain magnitude or superstar, first-ballot Hall of Fame-type of players. We’re going to take a look and kick the tires and see if there’s something there, but that’s all. I think those things are unlikely.”
On Celtics-related trade rumors involving Kawhi Leonard and other players:
“Most of it is false, especially the details of it. What I don’t like about it is I don’t like how names are just thrown around. And you guys probably don’t care about the names, and that’s your job is to make good stories and have good things to talk about on the air, but, yeah, most of it’s not true. There’s sometimes bits and pieces of it that are true, so it’s not total lies. I can’t call it fake news. But it’s complex.”
On whether Ainge considers the Celtics, as currently constructed, a title contender:
“Yeah. I felt like we were a title contender last year in training camp. I didn’t think we were the favorites, but I felt like we were a contender.”
On what kind of complementary pieces the Celtics will be targeting this offseason:
“It’s easier when you have three [star] guys already that you’ve gotten from the years before and you got some budding stars in younger players that are progressing. So … we don’t really have a need. We have really good players, so we need to surround them with role players with the rest of our roster that have a chance to win.
The celtics are fine where they stand. You got a startin line up both on and off the bench.
Kyrie Smart Hayward Morris Horford
Bench is Rozier Brown Tatum Theis and Baynes i believe? Regardless they got a great line-up includin the second unit. Im favoring them and the Rockets in the finals this year.
Marcus Smart is gone. Someone will give him too much money.
I think it’s more likely, should there be no moves, to run: 1. Kyrie 2. Tatum. 3. Gordon. 4. Big Al. 5. Baynes. Small ball you swap Baynes for Smart.
They have a wing too many, Brown is, like Rozier, fringe starter material. I also don’t love the defense of the starting five I listed, and in small ball line ups with Gordon at PF and Al playing pivot they’d get killed on the glass. I think Rozier, Smart and Brown are their best defensive players.
I expect Boston to bring Gordon off the bench to begin with… It’s gonna be tricky!! They have a good problem, TOO MANY good players. We’ve not even mentioned their third-string guys, Ojeleye, Theis, Nader, Larkin, Morris, Monroe and Yabusele who would all be first off the bench for most other teams in the League.
I agree on having too many wings. It’s why I’d be ok with a deal like Smart, Brown and the Clippers first for Kawahi, even if it’s for 1 year.
“Too many wings” so you trade a wing for another wing?…what?
Starting Smart (if he’s even still there) over Tatum or Brown? I don’t think so…
Stay the course. C’s got another rebounder/shot blocker in the draft…just what they need. Win the East….
Gyorko
I think you start Hayward at the 2 and tatum at the 3 .. you probably have to let smart walk.
I would agree with that.
Think about the difference in the C’s during post season with and without Smart. IMO the C’s need to find a way to keep him
smart reminds me a lot of Pat Beverly .. yeah big heart .. yeah hustles hard .. but in the end of the day he couldn’t make plays against the ELITE … so I would say Kyrie and Rozier are the ones you cant let just walk away… if Kyrie was healthy they would of beat the cavs I think.
If the Celtics don’t do anything, they’ll be in the Finals next season.
They may start Baynes, but the closeout lineup will be Kyrie, Jaylen, Gordon, Jayson and Al.
Exactly.
Boston should stay put with what they have… though this line up that people say of KI, JB, GH, JT & AH, cannot see it, they would get murdered inside, who would play 4? JB? Doesn’t work for me, you need big & strong inside.