CP feels Boston Celtics must negotiate with Danny Ainge for former Cs big
ClutchPoints’ Owen Crisafulli is a proponent of Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens getting on the phone with his former boss who helped put Stevens in his current seat, Danny Ainge, to negotiate on Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk.
At the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Utah looked like a team that could make noise — but now that they’re fulfilling the meager projections many had of them this season, Olynyk is very available and already has multiple suitors including Miami.
In a piece titled ‘1 last-minute trade Celtics must make before 2023 deadline,’ Crisafulli made the case for Boston to bring back the C’s 2013 No. 13 pick from the man (Ainge) who brought him to Beantown in the first place:
"“Making a flashier move for a guy like Jakob Poeltl sounds nice, but considering his pending free agent status, and the fact that he would have to play behind Williams and Horford, it just doesn’t make a ton of sense. Olynyk fits the role, and has familiarity with this team. He was exasperating during his first stint with the team, but Olynyk may be just what this team needs to reach their championship aspirations this season.”"
The Jazz would make for a great trade partner for the Boston Celtics
Even ignoring Ainge’s presence in the front office, the Jazz make for a great trade partner for the Boston Celtics due to their surplus of forwards who’d fit perfectly into the rotation due to being able to fulfill a need.
Jarred Vanderbilt comes to mind as an ideal cost-controlled option whose length is disruptive on defense and whose offensive game is advanced as a complementary role player. Simone Fontecchio would also be an intriguing shooting option, though it’s doubtful he’ll be moved considering the hit on his trade value his recent injury has caused. Malik Beasley would be intriguing if the Cs were willing to rapidly rebuild their roster afterwards since it’d take many salaries to match Beasley’s cap figure.
Whatever direction Stevens heads in at the deadline, a phone call to Ainge has to be on his agenda — and not just because of the previous relationship the two established in Boston.