DENVERThe Celtics are still keeping all options open between now and Thursday's trade deadline. That said, Danny Ainge doesn't sound too optimistic that the C's roster will look radically different from where it stands now.
"It looks unlikely that anything will be done," said Ainge, the Celtics' president of basketball operations.
He said the Celtics would likely fill out the remaining holes in their roster by signing free agents or possibly by picking up a player or two who might be bought out in the coming days.
Boston is close to having Terrence Williams on the floor. He and the C's have come to terms on a 10-day contract, but the Celtics are still waiting for a letter of clearance from the team he played for in China, the Guangdong Southern Tigers.
"Sometimes that's quick, sometimes that's a long process," Ainge said of receiving the letter. "I'm hopeful it will get done soon."
Williams is with the Celtics now in Denver, but unable to participate in practice or game preparation until the letter of clearance is received.
The addition of Williams speaks to how far and wide the Celtics have to go in order to add talent with an extremely limited budget. Boston is inching closer and closer to the league's cap limit of 74 million, which has left Ainge and the C's little choice but to pinch a few pennies.
Boston Celtics
That's why they waived second-round pick Kris Joseph and later, signed Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day contract but didn't pick it up after 10 days. Instead, he has signed with the Miami Heat for the rest of the season.
Being busy is a given this time of year for Ainge, although there has been more dialogue between the C's and other teams this season than past years.
"We've had injuries," explained Ainge. "We wouldn't have been talking so much if we hadn't had so many injuries."
With a healthy roster, Boston has 13 players. But with three players (Rajon Rondo, Jared Sullinger and most recently, Leandro Barbosa) out with season-ending injuries, the C's depth has been stretched about as thin as it's going to be.
That leaves the C's with just 10 available players, a number that will increase to 11 once Williams is cleared to play.
"There's been a lot of conversation around the league and we've certainly been busy at it," Ainge said. "Trades are very challenging to make."
It becomes even more complicated when a team gets on a roll like the Celtics have the past couple of weeks.
Boston comes into tonight's game having won eight of their last nine games, which includes a triple-overtime thriller against the Nuggets in Boston on Feb. 10.
"We like our guys; I like watching this team play," said Ainge who added, "we just need to find a way to give them the best chance to win with the resources we have."