Robb: 5 Leftover Thoughts After Quiet Trade Deadline For Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) – On the heels of a quiet trade deadline for the Celtics, there was still plenty to analyze about what Danny Ainge did not do and what it means for the franchise going forward. With that in mind, let's dive into five leftover thoughts from an uneventful Thursday in February.
1. Why mess with a good thing? The Celtics are one of the deeper teams in the NBA and were on a roll heading into the trade deadline, winning 13 of 17 games before Friday's setback against the Jazz. With nearly every member of the team's rotation giving Brad Stevens solid production in the past few weeks, there was no real need to add a non-impact player to the mix at this juncture. The top names traded, such as Markieff Morris or Jeff Green, would not have given Stevens clear-cut upgrades if they arrived in Beantown. After having to handle so many trades last year, it must be a breathe of fresh air for Stevens to maintain continuity with the same 14 guys over 82 games.
2. Boston's youth movement bears watching. With nine players under guaranteed contracts for next season (not including Jonas Jerebko/Amir Johnson), the Celtics don't have a whole lot of room for young prospects moving forward. That includes young guards such as Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and James Young. With no direct path to minutes for that trio and a couple potential lottery picks looming for the franchise next season, those guys may have a better chance of playing for another team next year rather than Boston. I expected them to be candidates to be moved at this deadline, but Ainge will have to wait a little longer.
3. Rentals were expensive. While it may have been tempting to give the Celtics some extra firepower to chase the Raptors in the East's second seed over the second half of the season, the price of such a move appeared to be expensive. Jeff Green and Donatas Motiejunas both cost their new teams future first-round picks, even though each is set to become a free agent after the season. At those prices, the Rockets and Hawks were surely looking for bigger returns for big men such as Dwight Howard and Al Horford respectively. Given their ages and limited upside, Ainge likely made the right call in maintaining his assets for a bigger prize this offseason.
4. Blockbuster deals rarely happen midseason. While the calls for Boston to land a superstar name like Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony were loud over the past few weeks, the fact that none of them were on the move spoke volumes. Big swaps in the middle of the season occur once in a blue moon, especially when a team is a title contender (Clippers, Cavs). In order to move a player that's such a vital component of your offense, you need to basically reconfigure a major part of your team's offense. That's not a winning formula in a league where continuity usually leads to success.
5. Future Celtic free agents should improve their values. With a more set rotation now in place and David Lee out of the picture for good, restricted free agents-to-be (Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller) have to be happy campers. That duo now knows they won't be fighting for minutes over the next month with Kelly Olynyk sidelined and no new players jockeying for spots in a crowded frontcourt. The same goes for Evan Turner on the wing.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter@CelticsHub.