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Last week Danny Ainge said something about waiting a week to make calls to guys like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to "let them breathe" after the season. So the logical question is "well, did you call them?"
The answer is no. In fact, it sounds like he's in no particular hurry at all. In particular with Kevin Garnett.
Ainge: Rivers will return next season -Celtics blog - Boston Globe basketball news
With Rivers back, the Celtics can now begin formulating their roster for next season. Ainge said he has not talked with Kevin Garnett, who will turn 37 on Sunday and is considering retirement. "I don't think I have the answers that Kevin will want," Ainge said. "So I gotta figure there's a lot to do (before we talk) and I think there's a lot of questions in Kevin's mind as there is every year, to determine whether he's coming back. I'm not ready to answer everything that he will want to know."
Reading between the lines a bit, it seems that Ainge hasn't come to a decision on Paul Pierce yet. Without that "answer" that KG is looking for, Kevin isn't going to have an answer in reply. So there's no need to make that call until things with Pierce get sorted out.
It doesn't say anything about Ainge not speaking with Pierce. So make of that what you will.
Taking another leap into that white space between strings of text, I'd have to imagine that Ainge is busy making calls around the league to gauge exactly how much value Pierce might have in a trade. As we get closer to the NBA Draft and the June 30 deadline to make a decision on Paul's contract, we'll probably get a better idea of what options are out there and what are not.
Timing-wise, draft night is a logical time for teams to make smaller trades because GMs can target specific players. They can even make contingent trade agreements based on who might be available. Typically, however, larger trades with big name players happen a few days before or after the draft since there are usually so many moving parts. There's also the free agency period that teams will be highly interested in starting July first.
Basically we've got a good few weeks before any of this is likely going to be resolved. So buckle up and enjoy the rumors and speculation rollercoaster.