does Ainge need to make a trade now?

The fact that jeff green is still active in the NBA post his heart surgery astounds me

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I know Gordon has shown alot in the past, but I have seen nothing from him in the past year to warrant pining away for him.  I believe he has plateaued in his development.  Maybe he would do better on another team, but he does not interest me. And I think Barnes is a pipe dream for some, this season may come down to IT IS WHAT IT IS.  

Thompson has shown real promise in the last few games, RW has proven he does have talent, it is those brain freezes he gets every now and then. I believe he really wants to do well.  I am in the Theis fan club, have been since he came here.  

yes, we are still early in the season (though it may feel like we're not). If Thompson keeps getting his legs under him here and Kemba gets back fully and everyone else can stay healthy, we might not need a lot more than what we have here now.

certainly doesn't seem like a time to overpay for a guy at the least.

kdp59 wrote:well..IF Barnes was on an expiring deal, then a possible trade with something like Nesmith and a future first would make more sense for the Kings.

getting something for a player likely to leave and all that.

but Barnes or Gordon are both on mutli-year contracts. That means Ainge will have to pay UP to get them, IMO.

That large TPE is kind of built for an expiring salary to me.


found this link for expiring contract/Free agents next season for reference:

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/2021/

Indeed I do not see much in this list, mostly players we would not want or could not get

A good PF we can get - not on the list
A better center - Not unless we could get Cousins from Huston for pocket change
Better wings/shooters for the bench - Maybe
J.J. Redick? Danny Green?

This is a moot point anyway, because I do not think Danny Ainge WANTS to trade/get anyone at this point.

Rumor: Celtics actively looking for upgrades



Fire up the trade machines! Danny Ainge is ready to rock.



By Jeff Clark@celticsblog  Feb 8, 2021, 10:39am EST



The schedule is all jumbled because of COVID but trust me when I say that we’re officially approaching NBA trade season. That means it is time for vague rumors and rampant speculation!

Old friend Kevin O’Connor has the following tid-bit on the Celtics in his latest power rankings column.

"Late Saturday evening, I received a flurry of texts from multiple executives around the league who said the Celtics were up to something. What they’re up to is unclear, but league sources have long said Boston is searching for upgrades to bolster its wing and big man position."

He also points out that Tristan Thompson is now trade eligible (NBA rules restrict trades for a time period after a free agent signs with a team). Ainge recently mentioned that the “sweet spot” for trades is usually closer to the trade deadline (March 25th this year), but that doesn’t mean he won’t look for a deal before then. As Keith Smith reminds us, NBA GM’s “talk trades every single day.” If the right deal comes along, he’ll pull the trigger.

The rumor related to the big man position is curious. If that means power forwards, I’m tracking with that. If it means centers, well that’s more confusing and might include the option of moving Tristan Thompson (which would be odd since he just got here) or another one of the centers on the roster.

The wings rumor makes a lot more sense as the team has felt the absence of Gordon Hayward in several ways this year.

So who do you think the Celtics are working on? Any speculation on why the team might have ramped up their activity?


Bob
MY NOTE:  Not really news, per se, we know that Trader Danny never sleeps and he said the trade deadline was "the sweet spot" for using the TPE and that his focus is on wings and bigs that score.  What is slightly different is this claim by Kevin O'Connor, who now works for The Ringer and is probably now better "plugged into" the overall league rumor machine, that something is bubbling now.  Something may be coming soon.  Remember, the NBA Trade Deadline this year is March 25th.  That's exactly 45 days from now, in a season that is shorter, more compressed and will be more than half over by then.  It's not crazy to trade well before that deadline.  Teams are already starting to see their short-term future, in terms of playoff seeding or playoff-missing, and will start tanking or adding pieces and integrating them so they can be where they want to be by the end of the season, for lottery seeding or playoff seeding it doesn't matter.  You get started now, to maximize your progress towards your club's goal, not in the last month of the season.

Key NBA 2021 Dates:
May 18-21: Play-In Tournament
May 22-July 22: 2021 NBA Playoffs

If you are #7 - #10 you have to decide if you want to be in the playoffs or not, because that's the "Play-in" tournament and that starts May 18th.  So, that's just slightly more days, between the Trade Deadline and the beginning of the Play-In Tournament, as there are between today and the Trade Deadline.  

.

A possibility we don't often consider is that Ainge might end up making one or two smaller deals and build depth.

We're all looking for a big splash and a big or wing that joins the starters in the rotation.

If no player matching that description is available without giving up Celtic core players, one or more deals could be made to improve depth and strengthen the overall rotation. That TPE might not help land a top-name player at all.

If Ainge decides he needs to keep Tatum, Brown, Smart and Walker, building the bench may be the way he goes. Walker's value is probably down significantly now due to that knee anyway.