It’s far more common to hear about the deal Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge nearly made midseason than the ones that he did.
It’s enough to get some fans to ask why he’s called “Trader Danny” as a nickname, though those upset fans would be wise to look to the point guard driving their favorite team’s unexpected success.
Ainge may rarely make a midseason deal, but he’s been holding up his end of the bargain over the offseason quite well for someone so baptized, and evidently this season the fish that got away was Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans.
The sharpshooting Latvian was never on the market, as Wizards GM Tommy Shepherd repeatedly noted, and Ainge’s endeavors to move the forward to Boston’s roster were never going to get anywhere without multiple first-round picks.
Boston made several strong offers to Washington for Davis Bertans, but the Wizards wouldn’t budge. Washington remains committed to re-signing Bertans this summer as a stretch-four opposite John Wall and Bradley Beal.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 6, 2020
It’s true that Bertans would be far from a guarantee at contention as a Celtic, but it’s moments like these that make fans frustrated with their pick-hoarding GM’s tendency to want to win every deal.
With as many as three incoming picks in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, Boston will need to make moves between now and the end of the offseason.
They’ll need to in order to be able to roster those incoming picks, whether it involves aggregating them into a higher or future pick, dealing them away, or cutting or trading away players currently under contract.
And while the Latvian Laser may not be suiting up for the Celtics any time soon, it’s not out of the question the team may start making cuts if an attractive candidate comes along as a buyout candidate.
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