National Basketball Association

Danny Ainge explains why the Celtics did nothing at the NBA trade deadline

Published Feb. 23, 2017 4:23 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

The Boston Celtics were reportedly interested in nearly every player on the NBA trade market headed into Thursday's deadline, yet when 3 p.m. ET rolled around, the Celtics stood pat.

There was no DeMarcus Cousins, no Paul George, no Jimmy Butler — heck, Boston didn't even make a move for Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel. Instead, general manager Danny Ainge decided to sit on the Celtics' stockpile of assets.

 

Shortly after the trade deadline, Ainge revealed his thinking (via the Celtics' Twitter account):

"Ultimately, we had a lot of conversations, but nothing that was good enough to (make a) deal.

"We won't put a ceiling on this team, but we haven't seen the best of this team. Our whole team hasn't been intact for many games.

"We put a lot of time and thought into this. We like what we have, we like our position and we like our future a lot.

"We're trying to upgrade our team, but it is a delicate balance of short-term goals and long-term goals."

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