Danny Ainge

Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations, must smile as he thinks about the draft picks his team is owed.

(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

One way or another, the Boston Celtics should be in good shape on draft night this year. If they keep the Brooklyn Nets pick, they will acquire a lottery talent from a deep draft. If they trade it, they should be able to add an established stud.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will have plenty of options. During a radio interview Thursday morning, he said opposing teams have begun to call about the Nets pick but "nothing's close or imminent."

"Yeah there are people calling," Ainge said on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich show. "It's a valuable pick so we're going to explore that."

Ainge is also evaluating all the top prospects. If the season ended after Wednesday night's games, the Celtics would own the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick, thanks to the right to swap picks with Brooklyn. Toucher & Rich asked Ainge whether this draft -- generally considered rich in talent -- is deeper than the last couple of drafts.

"Every draft is different," Ainge replied. "I think that sometimes you have the top one is better than other drafts (or) the top two. This one is a little bit more equal in the top few picks of the draft as it appears right now. This is something that we're spending all our time (on). We have people all over the world evaluating this as we speak. So I think that at this point in time, I think that, yeah, there's four or five guys -- there's not a lot of separation at the top of this draft."

Ainge also said he has not talked to Isaiah Thomas or Avery Bradley about possible contract extensions. Both will be eligible for extensions this summer if the Celtics remain under the cap, but they have made it clear they would like to chase top free agents.

"Those are things that can't happen until the summer time anyway. Isaiah knows that we love him. He loves playing in Boston and he knows that we love him as well. And same with Avery Bradley," Ainge said. "I think they're a good combination. Both of those guys know how much we appreciate them as players and all they've done, and what they're becoming. So yeah, there's going to be a time when we'll sit down and have conversations with all of our guys. But in the meantime we're trying to build a championship-caliber team."