After a whirlwind week that saw Gordon Hayward and Marcus Morris brought in and Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley shipped out, Danny Ainge let it be known that the Celtics aren't done.
"We're not comfortable yet," the C's president of basketball operations told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. "We do like our team, but we’re still going to search things out to see if we can find anything that makes us better this offseason.”
MORE CELTICS
- Isaiah Thomas on his next deal: "Bring the Brinks truck"
- Mannix: Avery Bradley most underrated player in all of
- Will the Hayward-Crowder dynamic be a problem for C's?
Also included in the past week, according to multiple reports, was an effort to send forward Jae Crowder to the Utah Jazz as part of a sign-and-trade deal to fit Hayward's four-year, $128 million contract under the salary cap. Now, it appears Crowder is sticking around.
“Jae is a big part of what we’re doing,” Ainge told Bulpett. “I mean, he was our best 3-point shooter last year, and he defends some of the top players in the league. Jae’s a very important player for us going forward.”
With the departure of Bradley, look for more playing time for young guards Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier. A veteran guard, possibly Jamal Crawford, just bought out by the Atlanta Hawks, could be added. Ainge singled out Rozier after seeing him in Boston recently.
Boston Celtics
“I’m really impressed with Terry,” Ainge said. “He came in and worked out a couple of days in Boston, and he looked really, really good. He looked better than he even did in the playoffs for us. I think Terry has a very bright future. I’m very excited about him.”
Could the area where the Celtics are searching include rebounding? Ainge said he's confident they'll get some of that from young forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the No. 3 overall picks in the past two drafts, and that big men Ante Zizic and Guerchon Yabusele, who each played overseas this past season, "have a chance to add to our rebounding."
“But so do I think, Jaylen [Brown] and Jayson Tatum. I think both of those guys are outstanding rebounders," Ainge said. "You know, everyone just assumes rebounding is you go get a center who can rebound and then all your problems are solved. That certainly can help, but a lot of times that creates problems on the other end, unless that guy is really, really skilled. Then you have Shaquille O’Neal or Wilt Chamberlain."