Danny Ainge says Celtics almost traded Nets' draft pick at deadline
Boston almost made a huge trade on Thursday.
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The Boston Celtics almost made a huge trade at Thursday's trade deadline, according to general manager Danny Ainge. It's no secret they've been stockpiling assets in the hopes of landing a superstar, and the biggest one is the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected 2016 first-round pick. Ainge told WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kauffman that the pick was on its way out before the other team backed out, and that the player who would have gone to Boston would have been a surprise because it was "never reported."
That interview will air tomorrow, but Ainge also joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich show on Thursday and discussed the trade that didn't go down.
"We were very close," Ainge said. "I can't tell you the team or the name, but it was very close. It's something that we had been deliberating on for two days straight. The other team was doing that. And we were wrapping ourselves around a big package to do a deal. And at the very last minute, they just said they did not want to do it. They just backed out. It was a deal that was talked about, thought about, and that was probably the closest that we came."
Ainge added that there was risk for both teams and not a "no-brainer" for him. He was ready to do it, though, and this will obviously have people speculating. If there were no rumors about this player, then that rules out Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Al Horford and Dwight Howard. (Ainge also did another interview, telling WEEI that there was nothing close with a "rental," meaning that Horford and Howard are out.)
Who might it be then? Celtics fans will surely be wondering about DeMarcus Cousins, whose name has come up in the past. After that, might James Harden have been available? DeAndre Jordan? Jimmy Butler? Marc Gasol? I don't have any inside information here, and I wonder if we'll ever find out. Given that the Brooklyn pick might end up being No. 1 this year, there are many, many possibilities.
