WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said he is not disappointed that his team stood pat at Thursday's trade deadline and stressed that he remains excited about the direction of his franchise.
The Celtics, heavily rumored to be seeking an impact talent like Chicago's Jimmy Butler or Indiana's Paul George, let the deadline pass Thursday without activity for the second straight year.
Boston sits second in the East, three games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and also owns the Brooklyn Nets' first-round pick in each of the next two drafts. The cellar-dwelling Nets are likely to have a 25 percent chance at the No. 1 pick in May's draft lottery, and that pick was considered Boston's best chance to poach another star.
"We had a lot of conversations. There were things we could do to improve our team, but nothing that was good enough to do," said Ainge.
Pressed on how close he might have come to a deal, Ainge added, "It's hard to say. I think it takes two teams, so a lot of times we don't know how close. A lot of times it's very easy to tell that teams are far apart. But a lot of discussion, good conversation. A lot of rumors that were true; a lot of rumors that were not true."
While East rivals like Washington and Toronto made moves with hopes of improving their playoff chances, Ainge stressed that he's confident his team still has room to grow before the playoffs arrive.
Boston has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
"We won't put a ceiling on this team, but we haven't seen the best of this team, I'm confident," said Ainge. "I do believe there's more -- to play better and healthier. Our whole team hasn't been intact for very many games. We've had our starting five, I think, for [21 games], but our whole team hasn't been healthy for very many games the whole year.
"We've been winning a lot of games with everybody contributing, players 10 to 15 contributing to our wins. So we like the depth of the team. We like the youth of our team. We like the energy and enthusiasm of our team, and I'm very anxious and excited to watch them the second half of the year."
Ainge wouldn't go into specifics of Boston's trade talks, most notably passing when asked if his team had talked with Sacramento before the Kings dealt DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
Ainge left the possibility of revisiting some of these talks again in the summer, when many of the in-season distractions might make it easier to pursue deals.
Because he spoke with a bit of a raspy voice, Ainge was asked if he was excited about his team's direction despite the quiet deadline.
"I am excited, actually," said Ainge. "I was watching practice today. I was very excited by what I saw. I'm not disappointed. Not at all. I can't wait to get back out on the road and start scouting and getting ready for the draft and continue to watch the NBA and get ready for the playoffs. I'm very optimistic and very excited about the rest of the year."
Before the trade deadline passed, Celtics coach Brad Stevens had said he didn't expect much activity by his team. Ainge said Stevens was heavily involved in examining potential deals.
Isaiah Thomas, who maybe raised expectations for Boston fans with a series of emojis -- wide-open eyes, an hourglass and a watch -- in the days leading up to the deadline, had said he would be excited to add a star like Butler or George, but he also noted that he's fine moving forward with Boston's current roster.
"Those are All-Star-type players, superstars, and they change an organization," Thomas said of Butler and George. "Like I've always said, I will roll with the guys I got in this locker room until something changes. I always mean that."
Thomas was asked if the Celtics can catch the Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed over Boston's final 25 games.
"That's the plan," said Thomas. "They're a hell of a team, and you know you have to go through them to get out of the East, but that's the plan. We're going to try to."