The Boston Celtics stood (mostly) still in the middle of the NBA’s most chaotic trade deadline, like the eye of a storm as other general managers swung shocking and historic trades.
“In our situation, with our team this year, today was boring as hell,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told reporters before Thursday’s game against the new-look Dallas Mavericks. “We just weren't going to do anything major.”
A deadline without fireworks signals a franchise either at the very dregs or heights of the league. It’s clear where the defending champions stand, and it’s worth taking a brief moment to recognize Stevens’ accomplished run in the front office. His predecessor, Danny Ainge, deserves his due, as well.
Stevens may come off like the president of the local 4-H club, but he made two ruthless decisions to get the Celtics’ roster where it is today: he traded Kemba Walker and his albatross of a contract once he moved upstairs, and then, traded fan favorite Marcus Smart. He spoke at length about how difficult the Smart decision was, as he wasn’t the original trade piece Stevens had in mind once Kristaps Porzingis was made available two summers ago, but it’s a move that’s aged like fine wine. Memphis traded Smart in a three-team salary dump to the Washington Wizards before the deadline, and Porzingis averaged 20.5 points per game leading up to the Thursday’s game.
His early gamble to bring back Al Horford after other teams were literally paying him not to play continues to add value. Horford hasn’t played a back-to-back in years, but remains an integral part of Boston’s rotation at 38 years old. Stevens also traded for Derrick White ahead of the 2022 deadline, and he’s grown from Spurs role player to an X-factor in the starting lineup.
However, the core of Boston’s roster is, of course, the Jays. That’s where Ainge gets credit, even if a former Celtic threw him out there as more of the hurdle to big personnel moves that may have been. Yes, it’s worth noting the Kyrie Irving quote ESPN’s Tim Bontemps shared earlier this week:
“In 2018, it was a dream for Kyrie, AD, KD to be on one team and still keep JT and let him grow and then see how it goes. But back then, those young guys weren't ready to be in trade rumors, man. Our locker room splintered after that, once they found out. It wasn't [Jaylen Brown] or JT, but our locker room splintered once they started figuring out the trade rumors, and our season started going in a whole different way."
Irving stories can be taken with a grain of salt, but let’s take this one at face value for kicks. If Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant were to come to Boston at that time, (both ultimately moved in 2018), would Jaylen Brown definitely remain on the roster? Who are the other “young guys,” if Boston had to execute a trade? Would any “young guy” besides Brown fit the profile of Davis or Durant? And was any thoughtful jury actually waiting to “see how it goes” with Jayson Tatum after his outstanding rookie season? Who knows what his development would look like with those three around him. Irving and Durant executed two-thirds of that plan in Brooklyn the following year and knocked the Celtics out of one playoff run, but Ainge’s ultimate patience with his “young guys” laid the foundation for the 2022 Finals runners-up, and ultimately, last year’s champs.
And that team may have played a critical part of the biggest trade in NBA history, the Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis deal that shook the league.
“Boston was the better team, for sure,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said after the trade deadline, reflecting on the Finals matchup between Boston and Dallas. “So, going to the Finals was a great experience, but we felt we have to get better. And so, we believe what we’re doing right now is part of that journey to get better.”
This Celtics team isn’t playing the untouchable level of basketball they exacted last year. They have to get better. But they already had the guys in the room.