The buzz around the NBA trade deadline is unmatched - teams begin to scramble all their assets to see what kinds of moves they can make, and the Celtics were no exception. Boston was involved in trade talks throughout the entire trade deadline bonanza, but ended up not making a single deal.
There are different ways to dissect this. The Celtics had a number of assets they could use, but Danny Ainge wasn’t willing to sell them on the cheap. Ainge was reportedly asking for at least one first round pick for virtually any player the Celtics considered moving.
That’s a hard deal to make for any team, regardless of what they’re receiving. Even though Boston had some pieces, the grand prize – as we kept hearing all week – was Rajon Rondo.
Since he became a Boston Celtic, Rondo has been at the center of trade rumors around this time every single season – but nothing’s ever come of it.
In fact, Danny Ainge has noted that the only time Rondo was ever really close to being traded was when it looked like the Celtics were getting Chris Paul - who’s arguably the best point guard in the league – in return.
There were a number of teams looking at Rondo this time around. The Rockets, Kings, Raptors, and even the Knicks had interest, but ultimately they couldn’t offer anything that made a Rondo deal look remotely plausible.
So did the Celtics make the right decision? The answer is yes.
Even though Boston is in the bottom tier of the league and hasn’t shown any signs of turning things around this season, they do have pieces to build around.
With Rondo and Avery Bradley in the backcourt and a number of other young players with real potential, the Celtics have the building blocks they need.
Even though there are still some guys around that Ainge wouldn’t have minded moving (Gerald Wallace and his ridiculous contract come to mind) Boston has an entire offseason to take care of that problem.
It would have made no sense for Ainge to make a deal just for the sake of making a move because everyone else is doing the same.
Regarding Rajon Rondo, the Celtics made the right decision again in holding on to him. His skills, intangibles, experience, and age all make him valuable enough for Boston to keep.
Now, the Celtics don’t have to worry about trade rumors and can simply move forward on their season.
The offseason will bring its own problems, and that will allow organization to revisit some big decisions. Now, they can just go out there and play basketball.
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