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Mike James Wants To Remain In Toronto
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Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets One GM Surprised At The Brevity Of Pierce Discussions
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Though his old Celtics team is one potential suitor, especially with Danny Ainge set in the offseason to go looking for a second or third scoring option to complement Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak, Mike James wants to remain a Raptor.
“They’ve shown that they like me, and want me,” he said. “I would really like to go back.”
At a price, of course. James is reportedly looking for better than mid-level money - $6 million or more.
But Toronto made its first show of faith by not dealing James at Thursday’s trading deadline, at a time when the guard and his expiring contract was in heavy demand.
“We’re trying to find a way to keep him here,” said coach Sam Mitchell, who is not an easy man to please.
As today’s NBA trade deadline approached, the Celtics were exploring three basic avenues for a deal, but a series of calls have produced no results yet.
“We’re out there trying to find things that will make us better,” director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said, “but the only things that have been available aren’t good deals for us. I’ve made just as many phone calls as in the past, and I’d say there are many things I’ve tried to make happen, but we haven’t been able to do anything we like.”
While Ainge wouldn’t get specific with his wish list, sources are saying he is turning away from anything that would alter his core of Paul Pierce, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins. If a deal can be made, it would almost certainly fall into one of three categories - adding a key veteran, lessening the Celts’ overall salary burden to create more flexibility down the line or trading for an untapped talent that may be sitting near the end of a bench.
“I do like a lot of our core guys, so I don’t feel like I have to do something,” Ainge said. “As far as a veteran goes, I think that’s something we’ll definitely look at this summer. We want to see what we have right now. I want to see how the guys we have play together. I want to see them get experience and get better so we have a better feel of what we need in the offseason.”
The most interesting aspect of trade deadline week for the Celtics has been the realization that some teams believe what they read in the papers. That’s caused a few clubs to call the Celts and inquire about the availability of Paul Pierce.
According to one source out this way, a Western Conference general manager was surprised at the brevity of the discussion when Pierce’s name was raised. Said another team leader: “I think teams believe they can get (Pierce) by offering a bunch of stuff, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”
As of right now, the Celts aren’t moving anyone. That could change if director of basketball operations Danny Ainge is offered the moon, but the team seems committed to giving its core some time to develop. That’s more than fine with Doc Rivers.
“I’ll be glad when it’s past,” he said of tomorrow’s NBA trade deadline. “We need to make improvements, but we need to stay pat at the same time right now. I mean, the improvements will be made — probably not right now, but you never can say never. But we have a game plan. We know where we want to go, and we like our team right now."