It's appropriate that Danny Ainge's first deadline acquisition in five years shares the same surname as a disease of male genitalia. As a quick Google will reveal, Fournier gangrenes are repugnant to look at — just like the Celtics' play this season.
Boston acquired Magic forward Evan Fournier Thursday, sending two second-round picks to Orlando. The 28-year-old wingman is a great shooter: he's averaging 19.7 points per game and lands 37.6 percent of his shots beyond the arc. This season alone, Fournier has nailed 73 three-pointers. The Celtics' entire bench has hit 178.
Danny Ainge acquired a player in the prime of his career who's poised to make the Celtics better. He'll also probably be here for the long-term. Since Boston retains Bird Rights on Fournier, it can offer him more money than any other team in the open market. This is a really good trade.
And yet, it's too late. Sitting at two games below .500 — and barely holding onto a playoff spot — it will take a lot more than Evan Fournier to propel the Celtics back to contention. Last year, landing a player like Fournier could've propelled Boston to the Finals. Now, maybe they'll get home court advantage in the first round.
Two years ago, the Celtics were running out Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, and oh yeah, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Since then, they've lost the first five players, who could form a playoff lineup by themselves.
Ainge isn't entirely responsible for the talent drain. Irving quit on the Celtics, verbally flicking them off on his way out of town. Meanwhile, Hayward shattered his ankle on his first night, and experienced three uneven campaigns. Horford's free agency departure was unexpected, and in Ainge's defense, he's not worth nine figures, anyway.
But there were plenty of opportunities for Ainge to strike big in past years. Each time, he opted to protect his assets. The NBA is now an all-in league. It started with the Lakers, who sent almost all of their picks for five years to the Pelicans for Anthony Davis — along with Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Then, the Clippers traded three first-rounders for Paul George, and last offseason, the Bucks shipped off three firsts for Jrue Holiday. Just two months ago, the Nets traded three firsts for James Harden.
Meanwhile, Ainge has decided to play it conservatively. Perhaps his biggest mistake came earlier this winter, when he turned down Myles Turner and a first-round pick for Hayward, according to reports.
With a solid drafting record — and fresh off the Tatum coup — Ainge decided to rely on his scouting intellect instead of chasing big names. It hasn't worked out. He's selected four players in the first round over the last two years: Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard. None of them are difference makers.
Understandably, it's hard to pick at the end of the NBA Draft. But that shows just how close the Celtics have been. They've played in the Eastern Conference Finals two times in the last three years.
It would've been nice to get a deadline deal during one of those runs.
We can fret about Ainge missing out on Nikola Vucevic, or failing to land the ultra-talented Aaron Gordon. But neither of those players could save this season — especially if Marcus Smart was simultaneously sent south. The Celtics are now a team that puts Semi Ojeleye on the floor for significant minutes each night. This is their weakest roster since the Isaiah Thomas days, and unlike those teams, this club lacks grit and charm.
The latter issue falls on Stevens, who's apparently traded his clipboard magic for a love of Dunkin'. The Celtics are a broken team.
Fournier is a nice addition, but he doesn't fix the foundation. That's a much bigger problem.
