Brad Stevens appears to be working the phones prior to his first NBA trade deadline, with the Celtics linked to a bevy of potential deals.
Apparently, those on the other end of Stevens’ calls are delighted to hear his voice — especially compared to his predecessor.
“He’s not trying to get blood from a stone and squeeze for “one more thing” like Danny (Ainge) did,” an executive told Spotrac’s Keith Smith.
Added another: “It’s less like you’re giving up rights to your first-born.”
The uneasy feelings some execs seemingly hold about Ainge isn’t surprising. He pulled one of the all-time fleeces in NBA history when he landed Kevin Garnett in exchange for Al Jefferson, two first-round picks and spare parts. Years later, Ainge turned around and dealt Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets for three unprotected first-round selections.
During Ainge’s latter years, the Celtics were notoriously quiet at the deadline. Perhaps his apparent frayed relationships with executives around the league was to blame.
Anthony Davis’ father flat out said he didn’t want his son playing for the Celtics, because of how Ainge treated Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics unceremoniously dealt him to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving after he played through a serious hip injury, which cost Thomas the rest of his prime.
Ainge is now CEO of Basketball Operations for the Jazz.
Winners of six straight, the Celtics are positioning themselves as buyers, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. They could still deal veterans Dennis Schroder and Josh Richardson, but would want rotation players in return.
We’ll see if Stevens can sweet talk his way into some deals.