Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge has accepted his share of criticism of his team’s pedestrian history so far in the 2020-21 season.
But he is not being criticized by his colleagues about how he approaches the improvement of his team.
In his weekly interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, Ainge responded to an anonymous league executive who challenged his commercial tactics while addressing other team topics.
Specifically, Ainge addressed a quote from an unidentified general manager at the Western Conference, who told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps this week that the Boston GM only does business if it can “bury” its business partners.
“I think that’s ridiculous,” he told the Toucher and Rich Show. “I have conversations regularly, daily, with [opposing GMs]. It’s not about closing a deal, it’s about finding a partner who needs and wants what we have, and us finding and wishing for what we have. [they] I have … I’m trying to make our team better. “
Ainge recently expressed frustration with the Celtics’ struggles over previous seasons and their own performance, saying the team may need to make a move ahead of the March 25 NBA switching deadline to increase their chances of contending for the title.
Doing so would halt a six-year drought of negotiations during the season for the Celtics, the latest of which was the acquisition of the popular ship owner Isaiah Thomas of the Phoenix Suns.
Since then, Ainge has been criticized for failing to negotiate to bring renowned stars to Boston, as well as recovering the value of outgoing players like Gordon Hayward, who signed a free agent contract with Charlotte Hornets after the Celtics’ efforts to negotiate him dropped down.
For his part, Ainge admitted that he heard opinions from across the league that he overestimates his players in commercial discussions, but noted that the same thing can be said for each team.
“I really like my guys,” he said. “If there is anything, I may be guilty of liking my people too much as people and knowing the fit and culture that are created in the organization. But I don’t think I’m trying to deceive other organizations or other people I’m dealing with. They know what we have and they like it or not. “
Despite the team’s struggles, Ainge does not see the Celtics title window with young All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as closed and also said he is willing to spend in the luxury tax range to give them enough support to compete. for a championship.
“If there are players that we can get to put us on top and keep us under the hood, we will make a deal that falls under that category,” he told ESPN. “But we are not going to do this for a band-aid, or someone who maybe, maybe, will help us a game or two.”
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