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Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge bluntly admitted last month: Boston doesn’t have a list of championships.
As the March 25 trade deadline quickly approaches, the Celtics, who are only 18-17 years old in total this season, will call up several teams in hopes of landing an impact player who fits the pillars. from the Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum franchise. However, they may need to lower their expectations a bit.
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One of Boston’s main business targets is Detroit forward Jerami Grant, according to Athletic’s Shams Charania. Grant is in the middle of a career year, averaging 23.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game after signing a three-year, $ 60 million contract with the Pistons during the last offseason. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps recently reported that rival executives expect the Celtics to be looking for “a player who can play either point forward and deliver some punch,” and Grant certainly fits the bill.
However, there is a big problem here for the Celtics: it takes two parties to make a deal. Athletic’s James Edwards III explained why it’s highly unlikely that the Pistons will move Grant before the deadline.
Grant’s relationship with [Pistons general manager Troy] Weaver is very strong. That’s a big reason the 26-year-old left a winning situation in Denver to join the rebuilding Pistons. Grant is seen as a building block of the franchise and embodies everything Detroit wants its culture to be to move forward.
From all accounts, Grant will wear the Pistons uniform for as long as he wants.
Grant left the Nuggets for the Pistons because he wanted an expanded role and the opportunity to playing for a black general manager in Weaver and black head coach in Dwane Casey. He rewarded Weaver’s confidence by performing beyond all expectations, even though the Pistons don’t win a ton of games. Everyone in Detroit knew the team weren’t in a position to compete for a title this year.
At this point, there is nothing to simply indicate that the Pistons are willing to discuss Grant’s availability. Ainge and the Celtics might want it, but that doesn’t mean they get it.
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