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I hope you like mystery novels, because we've got a great tale of intrigue for you today.
Adam Kaufman interviewed Danny Ainge and found out that there was a trade being negotiated yesterday that was "lined up" but fell through late in the process. See below tweets for details.
Danny Ainge told @985TheSportsHub #Celtics had deal lined up, a "bigger package", but other (unidentified) team backed out late.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 19, 2016
.@danielrainge told me the #Nets pick WAS involved in the "bigger package" other team backed out of "at the very last minute." #Celtics
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 19, 2016
Info Ainge gave me indicated #Celtics near-deal did NOT involve Horford, Howard, Griffin, Love or other previously reported stars.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 19, 2016
NO, Ainge wouldn't tell me whether the mystery team with the unreported player came from the East or West. "I'm stoppin' there, brother, ha"
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 19, 2016
ALSO: Danny Ainge said the mystery team involved would've surprised fans because rumor was "never reported" #Celtics https://t.co/wT5QixfFn2
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 19, 2016
On near-trade, Ainge told me other team "decided they really didn't want whatever it is that was gonna be offered, even if offer increased..
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 19, 2016
Ainge: "They just decided to keep their guy, finish out the season as best they could & revisit it later." #Celtics https://t.co/jQ1QJan2r6
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 19, 2016
I don't know about you, but this rumor has me filled with curiosity. Ultimately it doesn't matter who it was or what the trade package was for because the deal didn't go through (and I wonder how close it really came). But knowing the details would give us some insight into Danny's future plans and a feel for how far he's willing to go to get a star in Boston. Also, based on that last tweet, we might see the teams revisit the deal in the offseason.
"Before we got Kevin Garnett it was something that we talked about for two years, so you just never know what might happen later," he told 98.5 The Sports Hub. "So we'll keep at it. I feel good that we still have a lot of good young players -- a lot of good, young players on good contracts, a team that's playing really well, a great coach, and we have a lot of assets. So we'll just see how it goes the next time around this summer."
If it wasn't a deal for a guy that was in the rumor mill, that leaves out Al Horford, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins, Carmelo Anthony and others. Fans would love to hear the name Kevin Durant, but I can't imagine that was the guy. Some names to consider would be Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Gordon Hayward, and James Harden. After that, it gets really hard to find guys that would be worth the Nets pick.
So who do you think it was?
All I know is that I'm really excited for the summer now.