Is There A Trade That Will Make Celtics Immediate Title Contenders? Danny Ainge Believes In Miracles
BSOTON (CBS) -- The trade rumors have been firing all season when it comes to the Celtics and their treasure trove of trade chips. And with just two weeks to go until the NBA's trade deadline, you're going to be flooded with rumors at an even faster pace.
However, most of those rumors will remain just that. There's a lot being thrown against the wall from all walks of life in the NBA, and in the end, only time will tell if anything actually gets done.
Celtics president Danny Ainge joined Toucher & Rich for his weekly interview on Thursday, and while he's fielding a ton of calls and making some himself, he said nothing is imminent at the time.
"There is so much discussion that goes on around this time of the year; everything is discussed," said Ainge. "Some teams want one of our bench players. Everybody knows we have a couple of Brooklyn picks, and this year's pick in particular looks good. They're asking for a lot in return, asking for the assets we have. We don't have anything close to being done, but there will probably be a lot of discussions over the next couple of weeks."
Ainge said that at this point, teams are in a bit of a holding pattern as they wait for teams to give their "real" asking price or offers.
"It's not like we have five or six trades out there waiting to happen, but there are conversations going on internally that are being discussed. This time of the year, nobody has really give their real price, or their real [offer of] what they'll give you for the assets that we have. We'll wait and see," he said, pointing to his trade for Isaiah Thomas two years ago.
"When we did the Isaiah Thomas trade, for example, we said what we would do and, dealing with my good friend Ryan McDonough, he said 'no, I need more in return.' I understood but we weren't willing to do more at that time," Ainge explained. "Then a couple of hours before the deadline they came to our price and we got a deal done. So you never know."
The Celtics suffered a bad loss Wednesday night, falling to the lowly Kings in Sacramento to start their four-game road trip, but they still remain the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a two-game lead over the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. Ainge isn't sure if there's a deal out there that can put the Celtics over the top and turn them into a championship contender this season, but said he does believe in miracles.
"I have a great deal of respect for the teams in this league. Golden State is one of the best I've seen in a long time. I think that's going to be very challenging, but very possible," he said. "I believe in miracles."
Ainge also gave an update on Avery Bradley, who they hope can return from an Achilles injury after the All-Star break, and shared his thoughts on Paul Pierce's incredible career and where he ranks with the greats of the Boston Celtics:
