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Everyone knows that the Celtics want to do something and have the assets to do something, but nobody really knows what they are going to do. I'm pretty sure that Danny Ainge himself isn't sure of what he's going to do. You could say that about any team, but there just seems to be an added layer of uncertainty surrounding the Celtics. Which makes for an interesting buzz around trade deadline season.
Here's the latest from Stein on the Celtics.
Trade buzz grows as deadline nears - Marc Stein- ESPN
Boston has been quietly aggressive, with its well-chronicled array of assets, in search of the splashy move we all know Danny Ainge would love to make. But with Sacramento thoroughly unwilling to entertain offers for DeMarcus Cousins, and Cavaliers general manager David Griffin likewise emphatically shooting down the notion of making Kevin Love available earlier this week, there isn't a starry trade target for Ainge to chase. At least not yet.
What does "quietly aggressive" mean? Well, our own Bill Sy has a few ideas.
Per @ESPNSteinLine, Ainge is "quietly aggressive": https://t.co/sZBFADk0Vy pic.twitter.com/ORW4msYzMG
— Bill Sy (@deliberatepix) January 29, 2016
Ainge is "quietly aggressive": https://t.co/sZBFADk0Vy pic.twitter.com/vd74fK2Lhm
— Bill Sy (@deliberatepix) January 29, 2016
Ainge is "quietly aggressive": https://t.co/sZBFADk0Vy pic.twitter.com/TBzZinKagx
— Bill Sy (@deliberatepix) January 29, 2016
Ainge is "quietly aggressive": https://t.co/sZBFADk0Vy pic.twitter.com/CDCvGGJ1QJ
— Bill Sy (@deliberatepix) January 29, 2016
Seriously though, I think it just means that he's making calls and asking what it would take to pry away each team's biggest star.
It is hard to say what the vague chatter means. In some cases rumors surrounding the Celtics have been silent, then out of the blue they do something big. There are times when there's a rumor every day and nothing happens. There's no real pattern that I've seen, so we just have to wait and see what bubbles up - if anything.
Speaking of vague rumors, A. Sherrod Blakely reported that he's been told to "keep an eye on" Danilo Gallinari. Of course, he goes on to say that he (personally) would give up the Nets pick for Gallo, which I think is a little nuts. His reasoning is that the draft, outside of Ben Simmons, is weak. Don't know if I agree with that either, but that's a different topic for a different day.
So keep your ears open for more rumors and share them here with your friends when you do. And feel free to be quietly aggressive, ...but of course be good to one another in the process.
Update: This isn't a rumor, but it is an interesting idea that gives an idea of how much it could take to pry away another team's star. Zach Lowe lays out a trade package the Celtics could offer for Blake Griffin.
Blake Griffin's tenure in Los Angeles has become the questions of the hour
If you want to poach Griffin, now or in the offseason, you're probably going to have to come with an offer that -- at least in Rivers' view -- maintains the Clippers' spot in the league's hierarchy. The Boston Celtics could build an offer that appears to help the Clippers in both the short- and long-term: Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, one big man and two first-round picks -- including one of Brooklyn's unprotected picks.
That... seems like a lot. I get that you have to give up a lot for a star, but wow.