With their core of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have a roster capable of competing for years to come.
Even still, they can’t help the trade rumors that have surfaced this season. With a number of high-profile players being available in trade talks, Boston has been squarely in the middle of them, with some speculating they could use some of the young core to make a mode ahead of the deadline.
But, in a quote by Danny Ainge himself, the Celtics do not intend to trade away any of their star-studded core.
“There’s a lot of really good players in the NBA, so there’s always players that you can potentially get,” Ainge said. “But I don’t go into a trade deadline with any more stress or pressure that I have to do something to get better. I don’t see it like that. If a deal is there that we like, we do it. If there’s no deals that we like, we don’t do it.”
Ainge made it clear he’s not interested in trading a core of his future — let’s say Marcus Smart or one of his young players — in a package for a player on an expiring contract who will play in Boston roughly two months.
“I don’t think I’m looking at any short-term urgency to trade away all my young assets to get some veteran player,” he said. “But we’re looking. We’ll have conversations before trade deadline like we do every year.
“We like our players. I like all the guys on our team right now. We’re excited about them and each one of them have a bright future. But sometimes you tweak your roster for a better fit, better balance. But at the same time you can also mess your roster up by making changes, too, because these guys get along and play hard together and they like each other and they know our system.
“Change for the sake of change is not what I’m looking for. Change for the sake of progress is what we’re always looking for.”
The Celtics are feeling good about their roster — and they should. With the second-best record in the East, they have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA.
And though we have yet to see how they will come together in the postseason, we should have plenty of time to find out. This team isn’t going anywhere.
