In the leadup to Thursday's NBA trade deadline, rival executives are learning more about what it's like to deal with new Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
One thing they've apparently noticed: He ain't Danny Ainge.
Ainge served as the Celtics' general manager for 18 years from 2003 to 2021, earning the nickname "Trader Danny" thanks to his penchant for making deals and his aggressive approach toward getting those deals done.
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Just how aggressive was Ainge during his Boston tenure -- and how does Stevens compare to his predecessor?
Keith Smith of SB Nation's Celtics Blog relayed some great quotes from rival executives on the difference between Stevens and Ainge.
As Celtics color analyst Brian Scalabrine recalled Tuesday on "Celtics Pregame Live," Ainge always thought very highly of his trade assets. That meant he could drive a hard bargain, but it also meant teams were wary of Ainge's reputation.
By contrast, Stevens appears to be taking a more measured approach to negotiations.
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"Executives have called coach turned decision-maker Brad Stevens 'fair' in trade discussions, compared to Danny Ainge’s approach of trying to get your best player for literally nothing," Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill wrote Tuesday. "That has streamlined conversations, leading many to believe Stevens wants to subtly add to the core as opposed to tearing it down."
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There's a case to be made for both strategies. Ainge's method helped him unite Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen with Paul Pierce en route to an NBA title in 2008 and helped him pull off a historic fleecing of the Brooklyn Nets in 2013. But perhaps Stevens' more "reasonable" demeanor will make him more approachable to other GMs, which could make it easier for him to pull off trades.
While Stevens has one pre-deadline trade under his belt -- adding Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier in exchange for Juancho Hernangomez in mid-January -- his Celtics reportedly are involved in several other discussions ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline.
We'll find out in the next 24 hours whether Stevens' tactics result in an in-season deal going down.