Danny Ainge: Nothing on buyout market interests Celtics for now

There are a number of intriguing names that have hit the buyout market in the best week, including Evan Turner, Tyler Johnson and Isaiah Thomas. However, Danny Ainge is not ready to make a move on any of those names just yet.

The president of basketball operations told Toucher and Rich this morning in his weekly interview the Celtics will be standing pat with their roster for the time being.

"There's nothing on the buyout market that we're interested in doing right now," Ainge said. "But we're going to continue to evaluate that all the way up until March 1."

Ainge was also asked specifically about the possibility of bringing aboard Thomas who is shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range this season but has struggled mightily with his mobility on the defensive end of the floor during his time with the Wizards this season.

"I think it's a challenge with Kemba (Walker) and Isaiah, the size at the guard position," Ainge said. "Coming off playing the Houston Rockets, as an example, their guards are huge. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are incredible athletes with power and strength. I think that makes it tough. I don't think that that is a great fit for our team right now. But again, Isaiah has skills, he has talents that we could use -- 3-point shooting and scoring. But we've talked about this, whenever you trying to fill a hole, you're creating another hole most of the time, unless that player is a two-way, big, solid player. We could use some of the things he does on a positive side, and his size and defense are not ideal for our team because we already have a small guard we have to work around in some matchups."

Ainge later added: “I love Isaiah, I'm not sure that he's the right fit for us, but I'm not sure that he's not. We're still evaluating to see who comes available on the open market. We're hoping that maybe somebody that's more of a need and a better fit, but who knows, we'll see."

Ainge was also asked about Marvin Williams who agreed to terms with the Bucks just hours after he was bought out by the Hornets last Friday. While failing to directly confirm that the C’s were also in the market for his services, he acknowledged Walter was pushing hard for him to join him in Boston.

"I do know that Kemba [Walker] was not very happy when he heard Marvin [Williams] was going to Milwaukee,” Ainge said. “I think that Kemba had felt like he had a good chance of him coming to Boston."

Williams made his debut for the Bucks last night off the bench, scoring nine points in 20 minutes in a loss to the Pacers.

“Well, I think Milwaukee is a very attractive team,” Ainge said of Williams' decision to choose to sign with the Bucks. “They have arguably the best player in the NBA that happens to play the same position as Marvin. They have the best player in the league that plays the four position but he handles the ball all the time, runs the offense too. They have the best record by a significant margin in the NBA. I think there are a lot of reasons why someone would choose Milwaukee.”

BSJ Analysis

This shouldn’t come as a huge shock given the C’s roster situation as I discussed in my column last week on potential buyout candidates. The names out there right now are available for a reason and none of the highest-profile candidates outside of Thomas (Turner, Johnson) address the C’s biggest bench need right now (outside shooting). Given that there is no open spot on the roster on the 15-man roster either, bringing anyone aboard would cost the C’s significant money to create space (especially if it’s a player signed to a multi-year deal). Due to that, Ainge clearly wants to be confident that any player they brought in would be worth the price tag beyond his own salary and wouldn't just be bench depth the team didn't necessarily need.

While Thomas arriving back in Boston would make for a fun redemption story, the team is better off waiting for better options to become available on the buyout market right now. Wayne Ellington continues to be rumored to seek a buyout and more names could be coming ahead of March 1st potentially depending on whether some squads fall out of playoff races in the East/West. The Knicks, Pistons, Suns and Kings could all conceivably cut loose some veteran players on expiring deals that aren’t part of their futures if they continue to struggle in the last two weeks of February. March 1st is the deadline for players to be let go from their current teams in order to become playoff eligible with their new squads.

So what type of names could the Celtics be waiting for? Tristan Thompson would clearly be a top prize if he is cut loose. Ellington or Langston Galloway should be hot commodities if they are let go by the Knicks or Pistons respectively given their perimeter shooting ability and solid size on the wing. Taj Gibson or Anthony Tolliver could add some depth for the frontcourt as well, even though it’s hard to see much playing time for either being available barring injuries.

The bottom line? Buyout guys rarely make a meaningful difference when it comes to the postseason. The Celtics missed out on the likely best option that will come available in Williams so unless a perimeter shooter shakes free (with limited defensive issues), they may end up standing pat altogether. Injuries over the next month could change things on that front and may make a familiar name like Thomas or Turner make sense again but for now, the Celtics are wise to play the waiting game.