Boston Celtics NBA Trade Deadline Primer

Boston Celtics NBA Trade Deadline Primer

What’s up everyone this is Mark Deo I just want to say thank you for giving us a listen or a watch and please do not forget to rate subscribe or review us we appreciate you giving us a listen and here’s the next episode of view from the Rapters behind the scenes with the

Boston Celtics presented by Flexar all right trade deadline is Thursday at 3:00 we figured we’d bring you in and give you a little primer ahead of the deadline see what the Celtics could do see what they’ve got in the cover but first and foremost before we get

Into that I want to recall some stories I mean we’ve all got stories of living through the deadline on the road you don’t think people like to be educated they don’t want Prim flash fifth grade putting stuff on the on the big board and stuff like that you guys want us to

Put images up on the screens no we won’t do that but let’s start out talking about some of our best memories from the trade deadline because there there have been some crazy ones I know you you’ve been around for a while youve seen a lot

Heard a lot say I’m grateful that we are not the ones on the trading block and that is not something that we have to think about that’s next that’s going through our daily lives that’s the next CBA it’s like you can trade broadcasters you can trade it be like w you be like

Grandy and Max just got traded to Oklahoma City for you know what I be like what what it used to be a bag of balls now it’s the broadcasters well I think that’s an upgrade but what’s the what’s the story that comes to mind for you when you think about trade deadlines

And just like craziness behind the scenes that you remember I don’t know if there’s just one I mean there’s a lot of sitting in for some reason it feels like we were on the road a lot and in the west like that was it was the trip

Coming out of Christmas break well not break but coming out of Christmas in the holidays we would always head out west and I just remember always being in LA and that hotels that have these huge rooms they’re so nice and having to find a place to talk to either Brad stevens

Or Danny a after the deadline passes yeah in the old and olden days there was the February road trip this is the trade deadline was later it was after the All-Star Game allstar game would be played and we would always go out west and you’d be in one of these hotels and

I I had I remember being in I it was in San Francisco in the lobby talking to Kendrick Perkins and perk had just come back from his injury and we’re you know we’re talking there’s always rumors you’re not really there are so many rumors now particularly in social media

Age you tend to tune out a lot of them so I just remember depending on who has has said the rumor but also for our sanity because the Celtics for so many years because they had so many assets and because they had so many valuable players were in every single rumor right

It was it became too much you know so you’re talking to perk in a Lobby and then you go upstairs at 5 minutes later he gets traded and there are are moments like that remember as we approach this trade deadline and everyone gets all geared up for it Brad’s second year the

Whole year was a trade deadline as a coach Brad’s second year as a coach a second year as a coach every day was the trade deadline because there were guys coming in and out we played a highlight uh at halftime coming out we’re doing you know do these reliving the green

Great Moments in Celtics history on the anniversary on this day we played a highlight from 2015 and in the Highlight which is a 20 or 25 second highlight it was taan Prince over to Jamir Nelson to Jared singer I’m like what wow and it’s like my voice and I didn’t even remember

Those guys right those guys were all Celtics but in the 2015 year Abby you know it was insane all the time every day and we were at the fieldhouse in Indianapolis and Brad does his regular pregame media cuz he was always the king of of Indianapolis and you’re talking

About oh Eli ly and right he still is the safest I’ve ever felt in my life running since I’ve become like a guy who runs every day outside was running in Indianapolis I would run with Brad and I’ve never felt safer in my life than when I did that because I knew in

Indianapolis a car would swerve rather than take out Brad Stevens like go right into a tree or a telephone pole or something like that but in 2015 he does his regular you know pregame media and then we go back to do our pregame thing and it’s a 30 second

45 second walk back to the locker room and in that time I’m glancing down and Jeff Green traded like more guys that were guys have been coming in and out of the room for a couple of weeks and I knew that Brad didn’t know and we’re

About to and I’m like you may want to call Danny and he did and there were literally players shooting around on the court pregame that were about to be traded some were starters right some of some of them were St that night that’s how crazy that year was so yeah over had

Even had a chance to talk to the players about it by the time locker room opened we had locker room access we were walking in and as reporters we were telling guys what the trade was and who was going to be available to you tonight and who exactly Brad was trying to call

Everyone into his office who was going to be on the move but everyone else was just sitting at their lockers Shell Shocked like what is going on everybody who’s a Celtics stand up and take one step not so fast so much you yeah you go back you can sit back down which is

Strange because the deadline is usually 3:00 right and games are usually not until 7 7:30 for some reason I can’t remember was it 5:00 that year that it overlapped a little bit and and some of the trades actually got pushed back a little B well the Jeff Green one wasn’t

At the trade deadline that was the year which it leading up to it it was leading up to it I I said every day was but there was one I might have been the perk trade where we were in Denver and they set it up on Thursdays it was a there

Used to be a Thursday at 5:00 when you were resuming after the All-Star break and most teams were would start again and play on Friday but the Thursday game or maybe the Tuesday game whatever it was that was the nationally televised TNT game so four teams had to play the

Idea was that you shouldn’t be playing on that day but we were playing that night in Denver and it was a completely makeshift lineup and we had you know guys coming in and out of the room and guys who weren’t playing and uh you know we got killed that night I’m pretty sure

Is that the one that you remember the most what I remember is that with Danny not many trades were done at the deadline soing we had a lot of trade deadline specials on NBC Sports Boston that were long shows filled with and that’s what I remember I don’t remember

A specific trade or player what I remember is being on a roof in Los Angeles at this hotel and I had bought a dress from fen’s basement in Phoenix where we were the stop before that was $10 and I stepped off of a step and the

Entire back of my dress ripped open and we had an hourong show in about 15 minutes and I was like oh my gosh so we duct taped the back of my dress together and I talked for a long time about moves no moves that were made moves that could

Have been made moves that may be were almost there but nothing happened and the whole time I’m standing on the roof in a that never happened to me by the way once I’ve never ripped my dress that’s my memory of the trade deadline believe I don’t believe that but it’s

Interesting that you bring that up because I wanted to mention that is that when Dany was president of basketball operations for the Celtics he always used to say you don’t get your best value at the deadline you get your best value in the off season and so to your

Point he never really made big trades at the deadline we’ve already seen Brad Stevens make one with getting Derek white com into town um last year we can look back on it now but last year he acquired Mike muscala to try to kind of

Shore up the edges of of the uh of the roster but Brad to me is in a position now where the Celtics are on the cusp of potentially winning a championship right like there’s no question everyone if you ask anyone the Celtics are probably the odds on favorite at this point in the

Season they are the number one team in the league yes and by a decent chunk uh and so he’s at the point now where he’s going all in right we’ve already seen it with him acquiring Drew holiday with him acquiring Chris porzingis and now I think the way that he approaches it as

Opposed to Danny when he was trying to build to get to this point is Brad is like we’re all in so if there is something that can just nudge us forward just a tiny bit I’m going to do it I mean that’s that’s at least how I look

At it no question and he has said that that is where his mindset is I think what we have to keep in mind is that with this team the way it is and you guys can weigh in on this and Joe moula has been very vocal about this is he

Feels like the fit is just right whether it’s the chemistry off the floor and the way these guys get along but also on the floor and everyone their games every knowing their roles completely buying into that and willing to sacrifice and understanding that everything that you’re doing is for the better of the

Team and so to really make any sort of seismic trade number one they don’t really have the assets and we can get into that but number two would throw the Ballance completely out of whack on this team and I don’t I’m not sure that’s something you want to do that as you

Have said is a Bonafide Championship Contender yeah it’s going to be defined side ey Shan well that’s not I’m not giving you the side eye I know it’s it’s Define assets and what is what is a sexy asset and what is not but if you think back to historically when the Celtics

Have been a championship Contender I mentioned the perk one 2011 when the Celtics had sha that was on The Fringe of it and you were trying to make a decision about that team a lot of people were and it’s really it’s a division the new Big Three Arrow which I I named it

If the six years you divide it it’s got three parts it’s got the preg Garnett injury in which they were historically dominant team after the garnet injury until the perk traded which they were good and obviously had the you know had the run in 2010 and went to the final

Oh yeah funny about that yeah corelation between those two things but after the after the perk trade it’s we reminisce fondly about that time but the Celtics are so much better now and have been in the last few years than they were at the end of the new Big

Three era they were essentially a 500 team from the point of the perk trade till 2013 and that 2013 Celtics team as I’ve often said was less of a team than it was a basketball Museum it was like hey come see Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in their natural state but they

Weren’t really a contending team if you think back to 08 and 09 there were always Ray Allen rumors that never happened but for the most part it was can you add bu out guys can you add little pieces to what you already have and given the extraordinary restrictions

The Celtics are under this year this year being up against forward the the second apron and let’s not give anybody a popsicle headache about the second apron and what it all means but the Celtics are really pinned they do have assets right that they do have draft

Picks where they can get in on maybe some other people’s action here which I think is where this is going you know as we head to the trade deadline but we know that the six-pack is not getting moved and that is the only that’s the only seismic thing you could do is move

One of those guys and it’s not going to happen so uh you have to if you’re Brad Stevens be on the periphery and make your deals just as Danny did at other times holiday porzingis you mentioned trades at odd times the Rondo trade was in the middle of December um so I think

It’s a Stand By and Watch that’s another element that I find really interesting about this trade deadline and this season is that a lot of the big names have already moved from Terry Rosier who we just saw in Miami to Bruce Brown who now is available and probably could move

Again but Pascal SE yakum and we already saw the deal in noi out of the Raptors and so there really is I think only one major asset left out there and and then I think it’s kind of team just maneuvering around there I I and I don’t

Know what that means for the Celtics and how play into the bigger picture other than like you said facilitating deals you know why that’s critical is because The Angst among Celtics Nation this week is going to be not what are the Celtics going to do what are the other teams who

You are competing with going to do and uh it’s impossible to say they are but look I believe you’re going to look back and say the Sixers for example or the Bucks not getting not that the Bucks could do it but the Sixers could have not getting seakan not getting anobi the

Guys that have already moved that is going to be be significant because they went to teams and they made those teams better but I don’t think that those teams are Championship contenders right now and they didn’t go to the teams that maybe pose the biggest threat to the

Celtics in 2024 I love the point that you made a couple minutes ago about kind of getting in on other people’s action and essentially that’s what Brad Stevens did with Drew holiday right like the the Blazers took Drew holiday in and the trade with the bucks so that the Bucks

Could get could get Damen Lillard and then Brad swoops in and says okay you don’t want him I’ll try to get him right so I think what you’re getting at here is if another big trade happens and there has to be salary filler moving around from one team to another Brad if

If one of those teams in a three-way trade or something like that doesn’t necessarily want or need a player who is salary filler Brad could swoop in and say oh that player could help us is is that essentially what you’re getting at it is plus you’ve got the second round

Picks to move around and and things like that to get involved in other people’s deals and you again what I’m talking about with seakan anobi not going to those teams is the same feeling Bucks fans had oh man I really I hated to give up Drew holiday but man we got Damen L

We made the big move I’m sorry Drews going where now that’s that was the worst case scenario for Bucks fans and that’s what as a Celtic fan you have to be more in a year of unprecedented offense in the NBA as a Celtics fan you’re more concerned about playing

Defense at the trade deadline and you know making sure the other teams you’re competing with can’t make significant moves or don’t make significant M just real quick though on media day that was my favorite moment was Brad Stevens and the smile that he got on his face talking about when they realized because

They’d been planning on it but when they realized that Drew holiday was available and it just he knew they had been prepared they were waiting for this moment and the fact that they got to pounce it was it was like he acquired his son so excited he yes listen to so

Many teams so many coaches around the league talk about Drew holiday and you know why the same way they talk about Derek white you know another player that Brad was able to acquire but this is this and that’s something that I keep in mind too is that

Brad I feel like when he traded for Derek white especially around here in Boston no one knew who he was totally underrated I remember absolutely and and still is maybe the most underrated player in the NBA not top 100 as we continue to say but I remember I was

Driving in my car and I um heard the trade announced and breaking news glad that we’re on news on you Youtube component of this for those of you who choose the old school audio way of listening a podcast on the wheel Abby just did the wheels on the

Bus go and remember where it was I was on the on- ramp to get on to 93 North coming out of North Station I think it was that big of a moment I remember hearing I was like yes Derek white and it I heard a first round pick and everyone on the radio

Immediately are you kidding me he’s already giving up first round picks and I was like this is going to be amazing and it has been and I feel good about that but I think that that’s something that Brad has shown he is is able to do is kind of find and turn over

Those Diamonds in the Rough and and guys that we may not know or think or put immediately with the Celtics but I feel like Brad and his staff do a really good job of finding those guys and here’s the the point at the deadline Brad and Mike

Xaron there’s an entire group of people whose brains are prepared for all of these different scenarios as they unfold and you think of it as oh my gosh there’s a trade deadline everybody’s scrambling the elite teams are not scrambling everybody is prepared for these moments when the story is

Eventually told there’ll be an oral history written one day of the porzingis trade right and how where there’s Brogden and there’re smart and then it all falls apart you have to be prepared it it’s almost like the ball coming to you in the final seconds you’re not in

That moment thinking what do I do you’ve been preparing your whole life for the ball to come to you in the final second so you can take that shot you’ve been preparing all year and running the same play so that when the play is called and

You have you need a bucket in the final two seconds of a playoff game you you’ve been through it a lot and that’s what happens when the clock ticks down and there’s all these different scenarios and things go different ways you are prepared for it the way the Celtics had

Always been prepared to take a shot to get porzingis and yeah the clock’s sticking down you got to make a decision his contract’s going to go at midnight okay we’re going to do this because this is what we’ve discussed and prepared and planned to do two things that we’ve

Mentioned just now in the last few minutes that I think really need individual call outs number one the Dereck white trade that to me was the beginning of me saying okay Brad really knows what he’s doing like trust in Brad like he knows how to acquire players

That are not only going to play better than a lot of people think they are but also are going to complement the team’s best players and then the second thing is that he is not afraid of giving away draft capital in order to improve the team and get closer to a championship

You mean after a generation of stockpiling draft picks as if you you were going to go use them in to to the defense of Danny and I’m not saying that he there’s any trades that he should have made but he he did not value the players that could be

Acquired higher than the picks that were going out and as we know situation right and Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown wound up being those huge draft assets that he did not give away and now the as you’re speaking I mean some of the most I mean some of the best history

Colored history are the deals that didn’t get done and I’m thinking of that we write a book on this set about the trades that didn’t Happ of Danny and and the story of willing to give up what was it like seven round seven first round picks to get Frank kisy from the

Charlotte Hornet and they said no we won’t do that that’s insane but such a good thing that that ended up happening it’s so funny The Road Not Taken because it was Justice Winslow that they wanted right and and it’s because Michael Jord Jordan wanted Kaminsky so he wouldn’t

Make that move and then you end up with Terry Rosier anyway and looked how all that stuff worked out and again it is sometimes the best deal should make of the ones you don’t but what the sea change from Danny was huge Buzz around the trade deadline Monster buzz this

Guy’s going that guy’s going this is going to happen then nothing happened and you stockpile draft picks and with Brad no rumors no nothing and from the day he got here which was announced by press release when uh the when Abby was eating at that restaurant we all know where you were

Right when that happened because we know that story a Brad’s entire run here from being named coach to being named G M right and and team president were done by press release in the age of wo and Shams and everything being broken online and it’s been the opposite of Danny

Where there’s no rumors and then all of a sudden so I’m sorry what just happened Derek white just got tra you just traded a first round pick and you know Brad going into the cupboard of picks that Danny had stored and said I don’t want that I don’t like that outfit I don’t

Like that outfit get rid of that get rid of that I want that but it’s also where the where the team is Danny was building up they were inadvertently working together yeah you know almost I was going to say is at that time I don’t think that those rumors or leaks were

Coming from the Celtics they were coming from other entities number one trying to drive up prices because that’s what you have to remember at this time is always think about the angle but also just that like we talked about the Celtics had the Treasure Trove of assets so everyone

Just assuming that they’d be willing to do all these things and in reality I mean Danny was not going to do a deal that wasn’t good for the Celtics patience is a virtue right and now it’s gotten the everyone said he waited too long and then of course made what

History made we’re still 10 15 20 years away now from what the Brooklyn trade is actually going to be when we it’s like the Patriots dynasty you can’t really appreciate it until decades go by but as I said the other night we just passed the anniversary of Kevin male’s number

Being retired in Boston and he is now has a great chance to become the second most important male in Celtics history because Mel prerov is the guy that made this deal that gave the Celtics all these pick I didn’t know where you were going yeah I was it was worth it right

My head on I’m sure he’s going somewhere Mark let’s L it out though what assets do the Celtics have yeah this year there’s a long list of them and really when you look around the league and you look at all the other teams that are in the conversation just

To potentially win the championship it’s strange but the Celtics actually have the most Assets in terms of draft picks so they have all of their draft picks in the first round uh up until 2030 outside of 28 and 29 those have been claimed um so they can trade two or three first

Rounders and and they can also trade swaps um and then they’ve got up to 10 second rounders one of them is unlikely to convey and this is up until 2030 but so you’re talking about a lot of draft Capital at that point and Brad has kind of insinuated at times that those second

Rounders can really be valued in fact he came on this podcast in a bonus episode last season right after the draft and he spoke about that so let’s actually take a listen to what Brad said right after the draft about acquiring a bunch of second rounders I mean we’ve seen the

Value of second round picks specifically at the trade deadline of being used in trades and they’re more valuable than ever and to be quite candid we were pretty bare you know I think we had one in 26 and one and3 before last night and now we go into the rest of the summer

With six future second round picks um and again those are not those are not like when I was a coach I was like second round picks you kidding me I’m sure the fans are like what the hell is doing but you can use those to move the needle

And that’s all that we want to be able to do and we feel like we’re at a age and stage where we need to be able to balance having appropriate draft assets with chasing this thing and um and so we’ve got some some ammunition to give

Us a chance to chase some things and you’re talking about value right like those second rounders have value yeah how can you explain how much more valuable those might be now heading into this new CBA than maybe what they were even a couple there’s a second round exception that gives you some benefits

In signing a player that that is that makes it more valuable but I also just think you know it’s you know anytime you’re talking about draft picks you’re either slotted in the draft compensation in the first round or the second round is you know it’s not going to be um huge

High salaries that you know we all have to navigate with the second apron and all the limits it’s going to put on us with regard to tools um so I think that that’s a that’s an important factor in all of this Mark you know what I thought

When I found out Flex car was going to be our new sponsor no what’ you think I don’t know I don’t know what I thought neither did I but then I went and checked it out and and it’s basically a car subscription and you choose the mileage package that fits you best and

That’s it okay it’s it’s honestly pretty cool and it includes roadside assistance 247 car insurance and maintenance it’s all included in one bill all in one bill the only thing that is not included is the gas you put in the tank and on top of that it’s cheaper it’s like 10 to 20%

Cheaper than buying or leasing a car and what are you doing right now I’m finding my next car all right well if you’re doing that make sure you use the code Rafters and you’ll get 100 free Miles when you sign up so Sean when you hear Brad talking about second rounders like

Their gold at this point in time with this new CBA what goes through your mind that I don’t have to talk to him for 10 minutes for every game anymore that we did for for 9 years eight years um for him or for you for both of us I think we

Both got to the point where we were texting other people while we were having doing the pregame thing it was like you know it got so so husband and wife I think that again second round picks are not sexy but they are they’re the new first round picks right it’s

It’s the New Black it uh are what teams are looking to acquire because the Celtics are one of the models now that other teams are looking at as to how to build and CBA has changed everything as far as the limitations in the future what you can pay first round picks and

Again I make a long story story short second round picks are easier to get out of those contracts if you need to so second round picks become popular scouting isn’t what it was there’s more International Players I think more gem type players are slipping into the second round so that has that has

Certainly changed in the olden old and olden days you knew what the first round was going to look like like you knew who the top 10 15 players were coming out of the draft and if a guy slipped into the second round now it’s probably someone

Who isn’t going to make it those odds have changed too so and and trying to guess your which franchises are going to be going for it in the next couple years which covers might be dry a second round pick you know could be early in the

Second round and late in the first round obviously there’s not that great a difference so you’re gambling on things and second round picks don’t sound great until you actually are making it and you’re drafting big baby to play with the championship team but here’s the value of second rounders and and really

They’re valuable to the Celtics for two reasons right like number one they are draft Capital that you can can actually draft players on cheaper contracts they’re non- guaranteed most of the time so for a team that has a lot of money at the top of their salary cap dedicated to

Four five six players and it’s only going to go up in the next couple years adding guys who have upside uh who could develop into something at a low cost that’s valuable but then also as we’re talking about right now other teams are going to be looking at trying to acquire

Those so that they can acquire players that are on low money contracts and are not guaranteed and whatnot so to me it’s value either way if they keep those second rounders or if they turn them into something long term it’s value either way there is value it’s like Sean

Says it’s just it’s just not sexy so I do want to talk about I feel like Grant Williams continues to give we do still have the trade exception from his sign in trade with Dallas which is amounts 6.9 million I believe 6.8 6.9 say 6.3

But yes so there is a way for the Celtics to actually acquire another body and they do have the open roster spot yeah but as we’ve talked about I’m just not sure that’s really and the trade the um the exception that the Celtics have with that Grant Williams thing

Essentially goes away after this if they don’t make a move and so now is the time yeah you I actually think you’re right I think it is 6 point 6.3 million and then the other one they have another one that’s about 1.8 1.9 million from the Justin Jackson trade last year which you

Can’t combine kids to know all of these because they’re in the second a you might grow up to be a president of the team one day nor can you combine a trade exception with a player salary going out so that just can’t happen um but no you

Make a really good point that the Celtics have an open roster spot they have a trade exception they have all these second rounders I personally in addition to the draft capital I would be shocked if that 15th roster spot does not get filled personally that’s how I

Feel I mean eventually they’re going to have to give it to neimus K anyways he’s using up all of his he he’s almost halfway there in terms of how many games he could play this year but yeah I I am under the assumption that that 15th spot

Is going to be dedicated to someone because Brad Stevens wants to lengthen the roster as much as possible for whatever might happen the rest of the season you keep it open now have the flexibility exactly and there’s buyout guys too and the Celtics actually have a limitation as to who they can sign

Buyout wise that’s a new thing in the old days you get oh listen Sam cassel’s out there you know you get Gary pyton back now you’re you’re limited can’t be a player Michael Finley it can’t be too high a salary there’s an amazing amount of players you’re just throwing out

Names that people are going wait a minute that guy played for the yeah that guy played for the Celtics barely but yeah so it’s 12.4 million or under Griffin back yeah as far as and that’s the other thing he’s just resting up playing golf right now kicking his feet

Up and then gets a call I mean it’s possible bring the excitement of bus one you guys I rode bus one for the first time ever I think uh on this last Road really it is electric why did it take you that long to go ons one they get

There8 hours before the so early yes why you doing my hair and makeup we uh were grabbing Al Horford off the bus and Al now takes bus one so that’s eight more hours to tear your dress I mean why take the chance I mean this is breaking news can you take us

Inside bus one this is right please right now I honestly don’t know if I’m allowed to do that oh come on yes you are of what we’re allowed to talk about um so in case people don’t know there are three buses typically that go from

The hotel to the arena bus one is the earliest obviously and then bus two and three are a little more reasonable as far as getting there about two hours before I a certain amount of privilege after a certain amount of years I became a bus three guy I’m like yeah get there

Do the job get on after fines yeah with TV and then get radio interview in there um so I rode bus one and it’s also the bus that almost the entire staff and coach coing staff takes so there’s a lot of people on the bus I had to get a

Special exception to even get on the bus and the only reason I made it is because some guys had to go over even earlier so they took Ubers so there happened to be a seat available um because you don’t double up on imagine being an Uber driver driving NBA players I me being

One that became wasn’t Matt Ryan he become he became one he was an Uber driver that became an NBA on both sides yeah uh so I was on bus one and uh yeah it was just you know the players always in the back of the bus it’s just how

It’s always been but they do get off first you have to wait for them um and it was just you could hear Luke cornette cracking jokes the entire time uh pton pritchard’s on that bus Sam Hower nimi K so it yeah it’s just electric it was mo

More people talking I mean usually and that’s kind of why it was so jarring is cuz most bus rides are pretty quiet especially you know bus three after the game after a loss you can hear a pin drop nice and quiet yeah uh I’d be interested to hear uh hopefully little

Drop here of knowledge for the rest of the season we’re going to have someone from bus one coming on to a future episode this season so we have to find out if bus one this year is living up to the expectations from last year’s bus

You you didn’t get I was like last year yes I know this year is the loudest bu I’ve ever been I used to ride an airplane with uh we had big baby Nate Robinson I mean it got we there was some crazy it was like a club up there there

Was the planes that felt like they could stay up in the air just to from the energy and the noise so yeah it was bus one long before it was bus one was was a crazy seltic god well think about the plane Jesus well there was a different

Seating arrangement too right it wasn’t well we were all the the plane is bigger now so we were all more compressed together yeah less segregated like the players kind of have their area of the plane now in the past it’s like we were kind of all mixed together right and

Well I I’ll I will tell you this we’ll save it for a separate podcast another time but a new Celtics acquisition W it was so wild walked back to me and said is it always like this and I said yeah it is and that guy was Shaq

So the wildest c yeah my favorite part about those is that when the plane ride ended that didn’t mean the games ended or the hanging out ended those would go from the plane the stting to the hotel if you could get them on the bus there were times that whatever activity was

Going on on the plane we’re sitting on the buses waiting to go to the hotel and you’re going all right it’s like 1:30 in the morning 2:00 and there’s the game the next night but whatever was going on like you had to Corral them it’s like

You know getting kids to like hey you got to go to school now time to get like time to break up the fun and that’s that’s all part of it we digress a little bit into the bus and plane situation but more stuff happen then that it’s going to happen trade deadline

Which is so the deadline’s coming up we we’ve talked how you really feel Sean we’ve talked about we’ve talked about the assets that the Celtics have we’ve talked about the roster spot that’s so by the way I meant to say earlier when we were talking about the buyout

Situation I believe the rule is that the Celtics cannot sign any buyou player who was making more than 12.4 million if they were making under that amount if they were making under that amount Celtics can the Celtics can bring them in so keep a look out limiting

Especially when you think about names y there aren’t going to be a whole lot of big names available on on that market that’s for sure especially to the contenders um but okay as we look at this deadlines coming up Thursday we know what the Celtics have we know the

Roster spots open do you guys think that the Celtics are going to make a move and if so what area of the roster do you think can be strengthened I’m with you and that I think the 15th the last spot will be filled at some point I think that at

This point you’re thinking about health we’ve we gone to this stage with the best team in the NBA by far it’s a three or four game gap with everybody else we all know that’s true but how many nights have there been you don’t have porzingis all right jaylen’s not going to play on

This night allice playing back toback is obviously not an issue in the playoffs so you’re thinking about insurance more than anything else you’re thinking about where are where do you want that extra body there’s going to be a million nights in the regular season when Joe moua’s had to rely on and will

Have to rely on certain guys off the bench to play 30 minutes is are you comfortable with those guys playing 30 minutes in a playoff game if the worst case scenario happens and that’s what you have to we just spent this entire time talking about planning right you’re planning at

The trade deadline for this team doing this or this team doing that you have to think through it really feels like AB you’ve been doing this a long time now I’ve never felt a season that feels more like a dress rehearsal for the playoffs than this one where almost everything

That happens is because of the scars of last year and the way it happened almost every single thing that happens feels like all right what is this going to mean in game four the Eastern Conference Finals well to me that’s saying something because you were with those

Championship teams in 09 and 10 and 11 uh but I agree with you I think that you want to know why I’m laughing because those teams weren’t preparing for the playoffs so much as they were just waiting for them to get here and as I’ve told these guys many times all in

Different times individually the 2010 Celtics invented load management yeah but they just did it while playing while going through the motions of playing games but they were resting for the playoffs but this team like you said because of all the changes that occurred this summer they are they’re building

Towards something but it is something that everyone knows is coming so I agree with you it does feel much more like an on-ramp but an onramp where there are important lessons and and this is a foundation that will be built now and everyone on board understands

That I go back to what Brad Stevens said the last time we spoke to him and that is that his priority is a wing with size and even at that time he said that could be from within and and I do look to the Celtics roster and OA Bret and Lamar

Stevens who was a starter a season ago with the yes on a winning team and well a playoff team and so those pieces to me are there when you talk about needing someone to step in or dealing with injuries heaven forbid uh I do look to

The bigs and I feel like that that is somewhere if and it’s something that we keep harking back to Danny but Danny said that those pieces those kind of guys are available in these situations and so to me that’s the only place I really feel like needs Shoring up that

When you look at it and you go night toight and and and the Celtics are in a part of the schedule where they are playing a bunch of back Tob backs a bunch of games in a row and you’ve got to they’re doing the smart thing and

Staggering Al and christops and I would prefer that I mean I like you said said as we’re leading up to the playoffs s them the whole time I don’t care I think that that we need one more big for those instances to get us to that point with

Everybody healthy I think that’s right in not advocating for Blake but think about Blake last year as the he was the he was the fifth starter he was the knuckle baller fifth starter the change of pace guy who you would play for Al on the second night of back toback remember

Last year the Celtics ran off all those wins in on the second night of back Tob backs that was Blake starting every one of those games the guy that they acquired last year I think is exactly what you guys are talking about in terms of insurance in terms of being someone

Who is reliable and can be count on That’s Mike muscala right that that’s who the cetb IQ and he he’s he had been in the league for about 10 years by the time he came here that to me is the type of guy that Brad Stevens is probably

Going to look for he’s going to want to look for a guy who’s been around a guy who understands what it takes to be successful and a guy who if something happens where you need to go to an injury policy and you got to call him in

And he’s got to be a starter for a game or two games or five games whatever it is you know what he’s going to bring to the table so that to me is what I think Brad is probably going to look at I don’t know what position that’s going to

Be I think that really the only two areas that can be short up is a big Wing who potentially could shoot but those guys are rare and they cost a lot or as you mentioned Abby is uh is the front line uh right because I think about matchups Joel embiid potentially seeing

Nicoa yic when you have more big bodies to throw at those guys it’s always going to be a good thing right I would say I would just counter that I feel like if there is a move to be made at this deadline it will not be for someone who is playing

Significant minutes in the playoffs because if it is then if they are exactly this it’s going to be around the edges right he’s going to try to shore up the edges which is why the trade deadline I’m joking about nothing happening but maybe you want there are certain guys you’re targeting you want

Nothing to happen because you want them to be where they currently are so that after the trade comes and goes they might be Assets in other trades they don’t get moved and then they become potential buyout guys and that’s usually how this works yeah and also I think to

Your point of not wanting guys to get moved I can think of a few names that are out there right now being rumored that I would not want to wind up on one of the Celtics cont you know opposing contenders in the East or even in the

West at this point but we’re going to find out Thursday at 3:00 who knows what’s going to happen Brad Stevens has had a couple I’m still excited Two deadin deadline and he’s made trades at both of them right so the odds say that he’s going to do something but he’s got

An open roster spot he’s got a bunch of assets let’s see what happens Thursday at 3:00 is the deadline we’re going to find Out

With the NBA trade deadline looming this Thursday 2/8 at 3 p.m., the View From The Rafters crew dives into everything the Celtics have to offer to other teams, the restraints the team is working under due to the new collective bargaining agreement, and areas of the roster that could potentially be strengthened via trade or buyout.

There’s also a discussion about how Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge seemingly have different approaches to the trade deadline, while the Celtics are closer to a championship now than they were a handful of years ago.

And as always, a few unexpected stories come out along the way, including when the Celtics traded multiple players away right before a game in 2015, Abby’s recent first ride with the Bus 1 Boys, and Shaq’s disbelief of how crazy the Celtics plane rides used to be.

1:17 – Sean and Abby remember their craziest trade deadline moments

6:57 – Discussion around Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge having different approaches to the deadline

12:13 – How the Celtics can get in on the action of other teams’ trades

15:11 – How the Celtics are always prepared for every scenario, which led to the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis

20:05 – Listing the trade assets the Celtics have, and Brad Stevens comments on importance of second-round picks

27:52 – Abby joins the Bus 1 Boys and Sean breaks the news to Shaq

32:04 – Final discussion of what the Celtics can and should do with the roster

View From The Rafters is presented by Flexcar.
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