Danny Ainge’s off-season moves have helped the Boston Celtics

When heading into the off-season stage of the year, it was apparent that it was a huge one for the Boston Celtics.

After a season where they reached the conference finals, everyone could see the Celtics were still a piece or two away from competing with the Cavs. And it was up to Danny Ainge to get that piece, and to enhance their roster during the off-season.

The trades Ainge made this year had to be significant if they were to overthrow the Cavaliers, as after the poor display in the conference finals the C’s still need another upper echelon player on their squad. Ainge has to get this summer right.

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And the first trade Ainge pulled off was a draft pick exchange with Philadelphia. Here Danny traded down to the 3rd pick by exchanging the 1st. This meant he was able to draft the man who wanted whilst also adding to his war chest of draft selections. A wise transaction on his behalf.

Then Danny swapped 2 time all NBA defender Avery Bradley for Marcus Morris. Again, a clever trade, as not only did he get rid of someone with an expiring contract, but he also got  decent return.

Morris brings with him the gritty playing style that will help him fit in with  this team. He also stands at 6’9, which means he will add height to this Boston side. Something they lacked last season. He isn’t a bad shooter either, as he made 41.8% of his field goal attempts during the 2016-17 season.

The Bradley trade also cleared the way for that superstar piece that the Celtics were crying out for; Gordon Hayward. Hayward could really be the man they need to go over the Cavaliers and potentially contend for the title.

Another positive of trading Bradley is that Boston have players that will benefit from his absence. The young core of guards such as Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart will gain more minutes, and may flourish with the newfound opportunities.

Hayward wasn’t the only free agent acquisition that the GM completed so far. The other man he recruited was Aron Baynes, a Centre who happened to play with Morris whilst in Detroit.

Now Baynes may not be the most talked about of free agents, but his arrival in Boston does see him have some value in this roster. He is a big and strong player, who also isn’t a terrible shooter (51.3% from the field) and is good at setting screens for his team mates.

Of course he isn’t going to be winning any MVP awards, but his position in the Centre hierarchy of Horford/Zizic/Baynes may be very useful for Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics this term. Baynes can come off the bench and make contributions, and if he does he will repay his salary through performances.

In summary, Danny has done a terrific job this offseason. Not only has he strengthened the current competitive state of the Celtics team through adding top-level talent, but he has also protected the franchise’s future by adding to the draft-pile.

He also addressed key aspects of the roster, by adding another elite piece in Gordon Hayward to combat the singular superstar quantity, and dealt with the lack of height in the squad by recruiting the likes of Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes.

Next: Marcus Smart is the Next Celtics Superstar

After these great additions to an already good roster, fans of the Boston Celtics can certainly be hopeful of having both a good season, and a competitive future.