NBA Rumors: Celtics GM Danny Ainge Wise to Pursue Trades for Younger Talent

NBA rosters are fluid in nature, and the same thing holds true for solid veteran cores.

With the Boston Celtics clearly falling behind the developing younger teams in the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, general manager Danny Ainge would be wise to seriously consider breaking up his big three for the better of his franchise's future.

Ainge made some serious noise before the 2007-08 NBA season, when he traded for All-Stars in power forward Kevin Garnett and shooting guard Ray Allen. The two were set to join guard Paul Pierce, and the Celtics would find instant success, winning an NBA championship in their first season together.

According to ESPNBoston.com, Ainge doesn't want to see the Celtics fall back to mediocrity for the long-term future, so he is willing to break up his trio of Piece, Garnett and Allen.

It is a smart play by him, but he could become the villain in Boston for the time being. 

That doesn't matter, though. Ainge is by far one of the smartest front-office minds in this league, and he will make the right moves that will benefit the Celtics year in and year out. 

With the team right now standing at 5-9, it really is time to start pressing the panic button. They are only averaging 88.9 points per game, which ranks 26th in the league. Their defense has continued to be strong—90.1 PPG—but they are allowing more points a game than what they are scoring.

The Atlantic division is getting tough. The New York Knicks are becoming championship contenders with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire leading the way. And if teams like the New Jersey Nets continue to build around guard Deron Williams, perhaps with Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, this team will only continue to be a step behind the competition.

He doesn't want this team to fall flat after all three of these veterans officially make their way over the hill in the coming seasons—possibly even after this one.

He did an amazing job in putting together this team that has won four straight division titles, but now is the time to develop a team that will be able to compete for even more.

It will remain to be seen just what kind of talent Ainge will be able to bring in exchange for any of his aging superstars, but now is the time to find those pieces before it is too late.

Jeff Chase is a featured columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.