The Boston Celtics are in excellent position to make a big move for a proven superstar, but don't expect anything huge to come out of Beantown this offseason, according to general manager Danny Ainge.
Despite reports that the Celtics were pushing for a Kawhi Leonard trade, Ainge admitted that his team is"unlikely" to pull off a blockbuster trade in the offseason. Rather, it seems he's content with the current roster that was one game away from reaching the 2018 NBA Finals.
"If I feel like it'll help our team -- we explore every trade of players of certain magnitude or superstar, first-ballot Hall of Fame-type of players," Ainge said, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.
"We're going to take a look and kick the tires and see if there's something there. But that's all. I think those things are unlikely."
Aside from Leonard, the Celtics have been mentioned as a possible destination for Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, but that was always unlikely. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that the sweepstakes appear to be down to the Cavs and Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaking of the Lakers, they are the preferred destination for Leonard - whose relationship with the Spurs is beyond repairable at this point. However, Marc Stein of the New York Times mentioned on The Dan Patrick Show that the Philadelphia 76ers are also pushing hard for a Leonard trade, and the Spurs would like a package involving Dario Saric and a first-round pick.
As such, it seems unlikely that the Celtics will be the next destination for Leonard, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. But with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward both rejoining a roster that nearly reached the Finals last year, there isn't a big reason for Ainge to make big changes.
Leonard and James are two of the top five players in the NBA, and both of them could be switching teams in a matter of days, or even hours. 2018 has all the makings to be the most dramatic offseason in recent memory.