Danny Ainge says team has ‘been close a couple times’ on potential deals

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/02/boston-celtics-trade-rumors-danny-ainge-says-team-has-been-close-a-couple-times-on-potential-deals.html



Boston Celtics trade rumors: Danny Ainge says team has ‘been close a couple times’ on potential deals



Updated 10:16 AM; Today 10:16 AM


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



Danny Ainge knows the Celtics need some help after watching his team lose 14 of their past 21 games. Whether he will find it ahead of the March 25th NBA trade deadline remains to be seen however.

The Celtics president of basketball operations spoke with Toucher and Rich on Thursday morning for his weekly radio interview and admitted that while Boston has come close to making deals already to improve the roster, he’s not sure if and when the team will pull the trigger on a trade next month.

“I don’t have those answers and it’s probably not the time that it’s going to be answered,” Ainge said. “It’s rare that trades get done (not close) to the deadline. We’re talking and we’re trying to do some things. We’ve been close a couple times. Time will tell.”

Boston has lost three straight games and fell to 15-17 on the season after Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Hawks despite having two All-Stars named this week in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Ainge says the priority remains improving the supporting cast around that duo.

“I think we need to surround them with more scoring off the bench,” Ainge said. “We need guys to play with more swagger and confidence that aren’t subservient to Jaylen and Jayson. They will go out and play their game also and let it go.”

Boston continues to hold a $28.5 million trade exception created this offseason by the departure of Gordon Hayward but the team’s recent downturn (losers of 14 of their past 21 games) have also opened up the question of whether this current roster is worth investing in with a deal, something Ainge admitted is being debated behind the scenes with the team.

“Those are good questions and those are things we talk about everyday from the offseason to the beginning of the season and all throughout it,” he said. “Those are legitimate questions that I don’t have answers for right now but I will say this is a ‘me’ problem. I’m saying that I love my two young guys, they aren’t perfect and they are learning and this adversity is part of their growth and development.”

Ainge added: “These are not excuses for our play. We’re playing terribly. We don’t have a good enough team, in my opinion. I’m trying to deflect some of the attention that the stars get, although that is part of it. They have to learn to do that. Winning is what we are expected to do in Boston. We are expected to win, to put up championships, win playoff games, and that’s what were hoping to be able to do, still, this year.”

The Celtics return to action on Friday night against the Pacers, starting a four-game homestead ahead of the All-Star Break that includes games against the Raptors, Wizards and LA Clippers.


Bob
MY NOTE:  So, what bench players aren't "subservient" to Jayson and Jaylen?  Veterans, that's who.  Can you picture Rondo deferring to the Js? I sure can't. Why don't we have those proven veterans coming off the bench for us?  Because Danny stocked up on draft picks which he wasn't able to bundle in a trade or an upgrade in the draft.  And why couldn't he do that?  Because Romeo, a #14 pick that we got from the Tatum/Fultz trade, is always injured; because Nesmith is a #14 pick too that we got from Memphis, so dangling a #14 wasn't going to move the needle for another GM on draft day; because we fell for the fools gold of Carsen Edwards having a great summer league against players on the bubble trying to make an NBA camp where they'll be on the bubble again; because Danny kept our #22 pick and took Grant Williams, who may be an adequate NBA player (I know some people on this board would disagree with that) someday but is unlikely to be a big needle mover.  Grant's having a decent year so far, he's shooting 40% from 3 and 48% from 2, but he's not going to be moving the needle even with numbers like that unless he gets a lot of minutes and he's not getting them.  If Memphis hadn't rallied and had a much-better-than-expected season last year and that pick was in the 7-8 range we might be saying something else, but it wasn't.  If Sacramento hadn't, also, had a much-better-than-expected season two years ago we would have picked higher than #14 and gotten someone other than Romeo.  Tyler Herro went to Miami @ #13, for example.  But all this was Ainge's plan.  He was going to stockpile draft picks like Ebenezer Scrooge and dangle them or use them.  The plan didn't deliver as hoped because the picks weren't that good, so nobody wanted them and Danny didn't trade up or out.


.