The Celtics are up to something, ...unless they aren’t

BLUF (bottom line up front): This is an article about nothing. If that’s your sort of thing, keep reading. If not, I won’t be mad if you click on to the next thing.

This could be a very boring offseason - at least as offseasons go. There’s always going to be rumors and speculation and a general thirst for transaction talk. But the Celtics are a younger team that was a few games short of a Finals appearance and nobody would be too shocked if they largely ran it back with some tinkering on the edges.

Unless they don’t.

Nobody expects the Boston Celtics to walk away from the draft with three first-round rookies. “It feels like they’re up to something,” one scout told Bleacher Report.

This quote keeps rattling around in my brain for some reason. For one thing, it makes me chuckle a bit. I mean, could you get more vague and non-committal? Not that I’m knocking the intel, the scout surely knows a lot more than I do. In addition, it actually makes sense on some level. Maybe it is just me, but I’m just perpetually in that state of believing that Danny Ainge must be up to ...something.

I mean technically he is. He’s researching and planning. It is his job to look under every rock, to consider plans A through Z, and to probe the market for ways to make the Celtics better. In fact, we are now 8 months removed since the last NBA trade. That’s a lot of time for Danny and all the GMs to sit around thinking of the next move without being able to actually make any official moves.

There’s a lot of guessing going on right now. People assume Chris Paul will be on the move. It sounds like Victor Oladipo wants to be on the move. There are free agents that need new homes and a (reportedly weak) NBA draft that needs to take place. Some teams might even be feeling the economic downturn more than others and may be looking to shed some salary (in particular if they aren’t in line to be competitors this next year). The best and most resourceful front offices should be able to make good things happen this year.

The Celtics have some work of their own to do. They have team and player options that need to be worked out. There’s the little matter of giving Jayson Tatum all the money that is legally allowed. And yep, they have 3 first rounders burning a hole in their pockets (in a draft where lottery teams might be looking to move back). We haven’t even mentioned Gordon Hayward by name yet!

I don’t wish to waste more pixels on this topic, but I will note that a lot of teams would love to trade their longer team contracts in exchange for a guy that can help out this year and come off the books next year. The Celtics are just in the unique position where adding salary for future years might actually help prolong their spending power. And if those pieces actually balance out the roster more, even better. (Give us a call Orlando!)

As usual, we have no idea what’s going to happen (you know, except for that one guy on twitter who’s really sure he knows everything). We don’t even have any real rumors yet. Sure there’s reports the Celtics are keeping an eye on different situations (I mean, there are people in the front office that are literally paid to do so). There’s rampant speculation filling the vacuum of real information. But again, it just sort of feels like something might happen.

You know the punchline by now though. As soon as I convince myself that something is going to happen, Danny will do the opposite. I was convinced that the Celtics would trade some of their picks last year and they ended up with even more rookies. So don’t put it past Ainge to run this back with 4 more rookies and Brad Wanamaker signed to a long term deal.

So what’s the point of all this? There is no point really. This has been a rambling, only semi-coherent, glorified message board post. You are all dumber for having read this, I am awarded no points, and may God have mercy on my soul.