Report: Rival executives don’t expect Danny Ainge to make ‘big swing’ at trade deadline

The Boston Celtics are currently just 19-17 on the 2020-21 season after making the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

Despite their disappointing start, the Celtics aren’t expected to make a big move at this year’s trade deadline.

“For the Celtics, a player like Sacramento reserve big man Nemanja Bjelica might be a better fit,” TrueHoop’s Tom Haberstroh wrote. “The 6-foot-10 Serbian would fit in nicely as a dynamic big man who can shoot and move the ball. Is he Nikola Vucevic? No, but he would be far less costly. Rival executives don’t expect Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to make a big swing at the deadline. Said one Eastern Conference GM: ‘That’s not Danny’s style.’ The wiser bet is that Boston makes a minor move up front now that Kemba Walker is rounding into form.”

The Celtics have a hefty traded player exception that they received in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Gordon Hayward to the Charlotte Hornets this past offseason.

While Boston certainly could add talent to its core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, it seems that executives around the league expect the Celtics to stand pat and wait until the offseason.

Boston did win its final four games before the All-Star break and seems to be getting back to the elite team it was last season.