Ainge 'pretty sure' Celtics will make a move in near future

by **112288** Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:53 pm

Ainge 'pretty sure' Celtics will make a move in near future

NBC SPORTS BOSTON By A. Sherrod Blakely February 01, 2018 10:27 AM

BOSTON – Danny Ainge, the Boston Celtics president of basketball operations, is expected to add a player to the roster in the very near future.

During his weekly call-in on Thursday to the Toucher & Rich show on 98.5 the Sports Hub, Ainge said he’s “pretty sure” the team will use some or all of their $8.4 million Disabled Player Exception to add a player to their roster.

“But I’m not sure who that will be yet,” Ainge said.

Boston acquired the DPE after Gordon Hayward suffered a dislocated left ankle injury just five minutes into the season-opener at Cleveland.

The most notable target of Boston right now is Greg Monroe who recently came to terms on a buyout with the Phoenix Suns.

MORE - Mannix: C's high on Monroe's list

Going as far back as his days with the Detroit Pistons, Monroe has been a player on the Celtics’ radar. The earliest Boston can sign him is Saturday which is when he will have cleared waivers.

NBC Sports Boston has learned that the Celtics have also expressed interest in New York’s Kyle O’Quinn and Memphis’ Tyreke Evans.

MORE - C's involved in Evans sweepstakes

However, Monroe would be a more preferred pick-up because the Celtics can sign him without having to make any additional changes or tweaks to their roster right now which includes 14 players with guaranteed contracts (the league-maximum is 15).

Plus, Monroe provides size and scoring in the post, two areas the Celtics would like to address between now and the start of the playoffs.

But if Ainge winds up going into the playoffs with his team as they are currently constructed, he’s fine with that as well.

“It’s like, we’re on the phone all the time,” Ainge told NBC Sports Boston prior to Boston’s 103-73 win over New York on Wednesday. “We don’t have to do a deal. We’ll do a good deal. We don’t feel we have to do something because we have some glaring weakness. We know our team is not perfect, but I like the guys on the team.”
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