Celtics Players Have to Stay On Edge

Its no surprise to hear Danny Ainge talking about making trades. Even when the Boston Celtics were still contending in the East with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo had to deal with a swirl of trade talks each and every season.

Last season the Celtics finally made their moves happen as they traded away their only stars in Rondo and Jeff Green and with them so close to the beginning of the rebuild the Celtics still have no pieces that are absolutely untouchable.

The Celtics players already have to be on edge but now that Steve Bulpett has mentioned that “Hurricane Danny [is] considering a big and more powerful move but wants to retain flexibility. May look to get another storm involved”, things could be heating up on the trade front.

The problem with what Bulpett is saying is the magnitude of the deal Ainge wants to make. Ainge is not interested in any more minor additions such as trading away Gerald Wallace for David Lee but he wants a game changing player and that means that every player on the roster may be involved in the trade.

Dec 17, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (right) and forward Gerald Wallace (45) warm up before the start of the game against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Someone like Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder or Isaiah Thomas should be confident that they would never be shipped away for the kinds of players that Ainge has been adding this offseason, but if he is doing a “powerful move” the first name that will often come to mind is DeMarcus Cousins and even if he isn’t the player traded for that is the caliber that Danny will be looking for.

If the Celtics target a player like Cousins then it is almost guaranteed that one or many of the top players on the team will be sent away. Draft picks will not be enough and the Celtics will have to package first rounders and top players or promising rookies and that leaves no safe bodies on the roster.

Fortunately, the Celtics are in a better situation than last year as it will take a top tier player to get Ainge to trade away his best players but all it would take is the right offer and Ainge will pounce on it.

The person who suffers most with this hanging over their head is Brad Stevens. Stevens is the one who has to establish chemistry with one of the youngest teams in the league and two new additions to the rotation in Lee and Johnson. Stevens has to make sure that every player stays focused on growing with the Celtics and after last season there is no reason to doubt him.

Apr 21, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens reacts in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Last season was an absolute nightmare with the amount of players joining and leaving the Celtics but Stevens still managed to instill his system and once they settled at the all star break they hit their stride.

The Celtics are more talented and will be able to establish more stability by the all star break than last year and that could mean all the difference in the world to Ainge. If the Celtics melt down with an incredibly tough stretch at the beginning of the season then Ainge will not hesitate to make a trade. If the Celtics can prove that they can compete in the east then Ainge may not want to gut the team for a superstar.

The Celtics have an opportunity to build their own superstar through the draft with all kinds of potentially high first round picks coming their way and if they can show signs of keeping up in the east then Ainge will be more likely to let their process play itself out.

Marcus Smart can be the future of the Celtics’ franchise and with how promising R.J Hunter and Jordan Mickey have already looked the Celtics have an opportunity to grow and establish themselves through the draft. Throw in that Brooklyn Nets pick that could very well wind up in the lottery and the Celtics have one of the brighter futures in the NBA.

There is no reason for Ainge to throw away what they are building but with the interest Ainge has already shown in trading, the Celtics need to prove to him that they are worth keeping in tact.

Hopefully, the players will be able to use the trade talks as motivation so it does not derail or even impact a potential playoff season. Ainge has made plenty of safe moves this offseason and that has upset a lot of fans who expected fireworks. Hopefully the Celtics will be able to surprise a lot of people this year and make them pleased that Ainge did not blow the team up again.

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