(photo courtesy of bostonglobe.com)
After months of constant trade rumors and speculation, the trade deadline has come and gone and the Celtics remains the same. This comes as a surprise to many, as Boston is in a position to make a playoff run and has the pieces in place to make a blockbuster trade.
In the end, what it came down to was Ainge's decision to not trade the Celtics highly coveted first round draft pick courtesy of the Brooklyn Nets. The pick is expected to be one of the best in next years draft, and Ainge did not feel comfortable sending away a potential future superstar in exchange for a veteran player who could come in and contribute to the team now, but not for long.
Many rumors linked the Celtics to the Atlanta Hawks Center Al Horford. However, the Hawks would have wanted either the Nets pick or another young talent like Marcus Smart and other players in exchange for Horford. This would have been too big of a risk for Ainge, as Horford will be a free agent next year and is expected to demand a max salary. It would not be worth trading future talent in order to rent Horford for maybe just half a season.
The Celtics were also reportedly very active in trade talks with the Houston Rockets. Rockets Center Dwight Howard was one of the top players on the Celtics radar, but Howard's career has been in a downward spiral since leaving the Orlando Magic. Howard's was too big of a mystery to teams around the league, so he will stay put in Houston for at least the remainder of this season.
After the Celtics were one of the most active teams leading up to last years trade deadline, some fans will be disappointed by the Celtics inactivity this year. Realistically it is a good thing, because there was not a superstar available who was worth the Celtics draft picks and other assets. The Celtics are now set up to make a splash either in the draft, in free agency, or both. Your move, Danny Ainge.
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