For all the speculation and chatter going on about potential Boston Celtics trades, it’s impossible to predict what Brad Stevens will do. Throughout his tenure as the President of Basketball Operations in Boston, Stevens has done a phenomenal job of keeping his cards close to his chest. Very few moves get out before they are completed.
When the Celtics traded for Kristaps Porzingis, it was out of nowhere (until the LA Clippers rescinded their interested and forced Stevens in a different direction). The same can be said for the Jrue Holiday deal last summer, though some people connected those dots due to how obvious the fit was.
The point is, rumors rarely come out of Boston.
What does that mean for current Celtics rumors?
Well, there really aren’t any. All of the swirling chatter about what the Celtics could do this summer fits into one of two categories: Educated guessing or rumors from other teams’ camps.
In the case of Shams Charania’s continued reports that the Celtics will make big moves this summer, none of it is new. It’s the same speculation that local reporters and everyone else has been spewing all season.
Brian Windhorst’s report about a potential move for Giannis Antetokounmpo falls under the same category. There was no real reporting. It was simply Windhorst stating that Antetokounmpo should want to stay in the East, and the Celtics could put together a solid package while still keeping a competitive roster after a deal was completed.
The other category of rumor is likely where most of the Holiday rumblings are coming from. Teams like the LA Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings are being brought up as suitors, but those rumors are probably coming from other teams around the league, rather than the Celtics.
Even when Marc J. Spears mentioned that the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs could be interested in some of the Celtics’ guys, it probably came from sources within those organizations.
Boston just doesn’t let their thought processes reach the public like that. That’s now how they operate, and that’s especially true with this current batch of front-office execs.
What does this mean for potential Celtics trades?
Some of the moves that have been speculated in the media could come true. There is so much chatter about what could happen that some of it is bound to come true, even if it’s just bits and pieces.
But the reality is that it’s almost a given that none of the rumors out there right now can indicate what the Celtics are going to do. Stevens and his team dance to the beat of their own drum, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.