The Boston Celtics entered the 2017 NBA playoffs with the number one seed in the Eastern Conference despite not making one major move during the regular season. Sure, they signed Al Horford last summer and drafted a talented rookie in wingman Jaylen Brown but all season long, the talk was surrounding the Celtics and which star they wanted to trade for. They have a treasure trove of assets but nothing to spend it on.
They were connected to the top names, Paul George and Jimmy Butler chief among them, but Celtics general manager Danny Ainge did not budge. He didn’t see a deal that would both help his team for the present and the future. It’s unclear whether that meant he didn’t want to give up big assets for players under shorter deals or the players available weren’t ones he perceived would move the needle for them.
The Celtics head into the summer with a top overall pick, an injured all-star point guard and many young players that could be included in a mega-deal, it appears Ainge is standing pat. He just doesn’t see a need to mortgage his future for a player that might not make a major difference.
As the Golden State Warriors captured the 2017 NBA title, thanks in part to four NBA All-Stars on their roster for the forseeable future, a couple of NBA executives made it know they’re not looking to give up quite yet. The Warriors might be dominate but some teams on that next tier below are preparing for their opportunity.
Following from Zach Lowe of ESPN.
“Something can happen that nobody foresees,” Ainge said. “I don’t look at it as doom and gloom right now.”
Boston paid Al Horford the max last summer. He is 31. If Durant were still in Oklahoma City, Boston might burn more future assets to win today. But they are still going to try.
“We are definitely not in punt mode,” Ainge said. “But trading away picks and promising young players for a veteran who might be 5 percent better is not in our plans, either.”
There is always a super-team to chase. If this one is better than its predecessors, that doesn’t mean everyone peels off that chase. “I like having targets in Cleveland and Golden State,” Ainge said. “I like trying to meet their standards. It might not happen in a year. It might not happen in five years. With them, it might never happen. That’s how special they are.”
