NBA Trade Rumors: Like Lakers, Celtics Keeping Options Open For Improvement

The Boston Celtics are open to upgrades but team president Danny Ainge is not aggressively looking for an NBA trade. The NBA trade deadline is weeks away but the 60-year-old top brass says that there is no pressure on them to do any deals.

Ainge seems to be pretty happy with his group in an interview with the Boston Globe. With that said, he is not interested in dealing off anyone from his core group and will go after younger players. However, the door is not entirely shut on any possible deal. From the looks of it, Ainge will cross the bridge when he gets there and will decide if the deal offered on the table would be difficult to refuse.

“Change for the sake of change is not what I’m looking for. Change for the sake of progress is what we’re always looking for,” said Ainge.

As of this writing, the Celtics are 26-11 in the NBA Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite the loss of key players like Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, the Bean Town squad seems to be doing fine with its cast of young guns. Among the reliables head coach Brad Stevenson has right now are Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart.

On their end, the names of Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter have been suggested on several occasions. Ainge did not mention anything about a possible deal involving either player. Hence, it may all depend on whether any team would express interest in dealing for both or either.

Hayward would be an interesting player the Celtics could deal off. The 29-year-old continues to be slowed down by injuries and has played only 21 games this season. Per Basketball-Reference.com, the 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 16.4 points,5.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. The numbers he is putting up is great but his durability remains suspect.

As far as Kanter, the Turkish big man holds a player option next NBA season. He has done his share keeping up the fort for the Celtics this season. In 30 games, Kanter has averaged 9.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. These are fairly near his career averages although he does do the little things for the Cs.

The Celtics could use some veterans heading into the playoffs. But at the rate they are going, it may not be a priority. The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 6 with the Celtics simply keeping the doors open for potential deals.