Danny Ainge: Celtics 'looking' but no 'short-term urgency' to make a move

https://us.yahoo.com/sports/danny-ainge-celtics-looking-no-010646026.html



Danny Ainge: Celtics 'looking' but no 'short-term urgency' to make a move



NBC Sports Boston

January 10, 2020, 10:06 PM GMT-3




The Boston Celtics are in the midst of a mini-slump as they near the mid-point of the NBA season. They've dropped three games in a row, including an 11-point loss to the rival Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

Part of the reason that the team hasn't done well is that their offense has sputtered. The C's have twice scored fewer than 100 points in their past three games after failing to reach that mark in just four of their previous 33 games.

Despite their recent struggles, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge isn't feeling any "short-term urgency" to acquire some help, especially if it means sacrificing young assets.

"I don't think I'm looking at any short-term urgency to trade away all my young assets to get some veteran player," Ainge said, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. "But we're looking. We'll have conversations before [the] trade deadline like we do every year."

Ainge is always one of the more active GMs in trade talks and that's part of how he earned the moniker of "Trader Danny". But last season, the Celtics didn't do much at the deadline and elected to stand pat.

Ainge's hands may be tied a bit this trade season. The Celtics roster lacks the mid-tier contracts needed to facilitate a trade for a big-earner without moving one of Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, or Marcus Smart.

So, if the team makes an upgrade, it may have to be one of the smaller kind, unless they're willing to pull the plug on Hayward if they don't think that he, Brown, and Jayson Tatum can coexist.

We'll soon see if Ainge has anything up his sleeve. Still, even amid the team's recent struggles, he clearly still believes in this squad and doesn't want to sacrifice his best assets to make a desperation-based move.


bob
MY NOTE:  On one hand, we have Danny saying "relax, I'm not highly motivated", so we should discount the rumor mill.  On the other hand, he's Trader Danny, and I never believe a word he says about trade prospects or player health.  It would be 100% consistent with past behavior for Cool Hand Danny to deny he has a problem or covets a particular player.  He would never want another GM to think they have Danny over a barrel.  So, in the end, this is a "feel good" story that makes me smile; in part because I don't want Danny doing more than nibbling around the edges and, in part, because I know Danny would have lunch with his mother, kiss her goodbye and promise he'll call her soon, and then trade her for a future 2nd rounder on the way to his car.


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