Trade Gates About to Swing Wide Open for Boston Celtics
Back in April, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge offered fans a sliver of hope that transformative days were upon us, telling Boston sports radio 98.5 The Sports Hub (per ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg):
"I'm going to try to blow off some fireworks, but I have to be patient as well and we have to make sure that we don't do deals just to do deals...We have to do the right deals. Those are a lot harder than most people think or believe or understand. I'm not making any promises, we have a busy summer ahead of us, and there's a lot of different directions we could go.
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And with that "busy summer" is behind us, perhaps now is an appropriate time to take stock of what Ainge has accomplished and—more importantly—what's still to be done.
That forward-looking question has assumed renewed urgency in light of the organization's newfound resource flexibility.
CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely recently reported that, "Tyler Zeller and Marcus Thornton, both acquired via trade on July 10, are now eligible to be included in trades in which they can be paired with other Celtics players."
That three-team deal in July also delivered a first-round pick to the Celtics, but it hardly seemed to constitute the kind of "fireworks" Ainge discussed in April.
Blakely believes Zeller will compete for a starting job at the center position, but he argues that Thornton is, "More likely to be moved at some point prior to the February trade deadline in part because of the team's logjam in the backcourt."
At this point, however, we really have no clue what this roster will look like by the end of the 2014-15 season.
Zeller and Thornton are only two of the pieces who could be dealt. Other very possible candidates include Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green and—most notably—point guard Rajon Rondo.
The trade market will likely play a significant role in determining which direction the front office goes, but much also depends on the organization's vision for the immediate future. If there's a commitment to kicking this rebuilding project into overdrive, a deal built around Rondo makes sense.
Better to get something in return for the four-time All-Star than allowing him to walk as a free agent next summer.
On the other hand, Ainge and Co. may prefer to build around Rondo by acquiring the kind of talent that would theoretically entice him to stay. Players of Rondo's caliber are few and far between, so the Celtics could go all in with their attempts to persuade him Boston is where his heart is.
The latter scenario may also be the riskier one, however. No matter how hard Boston tries, Rondo will hold all the cards in 2015.
At the moment, Rondo's intentions are murky.
Though one recent report suggested he wanted out in short order, the 28-year-old's agent quickly suggested otherwise.
Blakely similarly reported, "Multiple league sources have repeatedly said that Rondo wants to start the season in Boston and see where things go from there. A similar sentiment has trickled out of Celtics camp, as well."
"Multiple league and team sources agree the most likely scenario has Rondo beginning the season in Boston," adds Blakely. "Then, depending on how the team does, both sides will mutually agree to either ride it out or part ways sooner rather than later."
That sounds more or less consistent with what Rondo himself has intimated.
"I'm pretty comfortable," Rondo told reporters in June. "I have a beautiful home here. I love it here. I have a great neighbor, the best neighbor in the world. I don't want to leave. It's just part of the process that I'll talk about once the season's over. As of now I'm a Celtic."
As of now.
How much longer that's still the case remains to be seen.
"Though he is not looking to get out of Boston, Rajon Rondo was quick to kill talk of an extension when recently approached by...Ainge," ESPN Insider's Chris Broussard wrote in January (subscription required). "It didn't even get to the numbers stage. Rondo is looking forward to becoming an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career in the summer of 2015."
So the big question is whether the Celtics will let things get that far.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein linked Rondo to the Houston Rockets back in February but reported that, "Sources told ESPN.com that talks between the teams have not progressed to a serious stage because the sides can't agree on the framework of a trade."
Months later, the Celtics appear no closer to voluntarily parting ways with Rondo.
Whether Boston tries its luck convincing him to stay or cuts its potential losses with a trade, there's little doubt Ainge will be a busy man between now and February's trade deadline.
Anticipation of those seemingly inevitable moves has already taken a toll on those who may be involved, including Sullinger—the 22-year-old Ohio State product Boston selected with the No. 21 overall pick in 2012.
When recently asked if trade rumors had any impact on him, the power forward suggested that he's given up on the media for some time.
"Goes in one ear and out of the other," Sullinger told reporters. "No disrespect to you all, but [I] don't like y'all, don't listen to y'all. I'm just being blunt and honest. All of the stuff I've heard about me, and what I can and can't do—who I can be, who I won't be—I just stopped listening to y'all a long time ago."
When profiling Boston's assets in May, NESN's Ben Watanabe described Sullinger as "the easiest to find a trade partner for."
The possibility that he'd wind up with a new zip code seemed especially acute in June amidst speculation that the Celtics would make a run at disaffected forward Kevin Love—who was instead sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in August.
Sullinger isn't necessarily out of the woods just yet. He remains one of the organization's most promising young assets and could very well be included in a package designed to surround Rondo with more established talent.
That said, the franchise seems to be scaling back expectations that it will undergo a substantial makeover anytime soon.
"I said we'd try for fireworks and we tried," Celtics majority partner Wes Grousbeck told The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn in August. "I'm reasonably content that first of all we tried as hard as we could and second of all we added some good pieces. But we have maintained our draft picks and we've maintained more building in the future as opposing to firing all the bullets now."
"We're going to have to go the more patient route," Grousbeck added.
Co-owner Steve Pagliuca echoed that sentiment, per the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy: "Danny [Ainge] has been very disciplined. He could have made a lot of deals by now, but not for the kind of player we want."
Discipline. Patience.
Not exactly the words Celtics fans were hoping for this summer.
Signing free agent Evan Turner could yield better-than-expected dividends, and selecting Marcus Smart with the No. 6 overall pick certainly adds to the club's stash of talent.
But these aren't the kind of acquisitions that will turn this ship around in the immediate future; nor are they likely to persuade Rondo that Boston is his best free-agent option next summer.
Whatever happens next will require some creativity from this front office—along with the willingness to accept some risk. Nothing is coming easily for the Celtics, not anytime soon.
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