NBA.com Celtics offseason review: 'Still on star search'

In a recent NBA.com article profiling Boston's upcoming 2015-16 squad, Shaun Powell broke down everything you could have missed during the offseason. Powell gave a quick rundown of the Celtics' rebuilding attempt so far, especially focusing on the outrageous amount of draft picks GM Danny Ainge has acquired:

General manager Danny Ainge went on a mad hunt for Draft picks over the last year or so and his spree nearly bordered on obsession. Ainge was merely trying to increase his assets and chances of drafting a star, or at least creating a package attractive enough to trade for a player who'd stand out on a rather vanilla roster.

While Ainge and the Celtics weren't able to trade up for anything significant in the draft, Boston could look to pick up a star via trade this season. Ainge could put together a sweet package loaded with picks and maybe make a trade for a perennial star in the front court which, as Powell points out, Boston might need:

The Celtics are thin on the front line, enough that Ainge doubled down and traded for [David] Lee as the Warriors dumped his salary. [Amir] Johnson no longer has the shine of an up-and-comer and Lee is rolling down the other side of the mountain. At best, they're keeping the seat warm until the Celtics finally land Kevin Garnett's true successor.

So should the Celtics chase an all-star forward? Carmelo Anthony might be on the trading block, there's always news coming from Sacramento that DeMarcus Cousins wants to be moved, and if the Thunder decide that Kevin Durant is definitely leaving next summer, maybe they will consider a deal for him. I really like the sound of "Boogie to Boston." "KD to the TD?" "Melo to Massachusetts??" We'll workshop it...

But Powell doesn't see any huge changes for the C's this season:

The Celtics next season will likely be ... pretty much what they were last season. Sure, they'll have Isaiah Thomas for the full 82 games and Ainge was quick to wrap up the surprisingly productive Jae Crowder to a new deal. Yet as we're well into the post-Big Three-plus-Rondo era, we find the Celtics still on a star search.

There's no way of saying if the Celtics will make a trade or wait it out until the offseason, but according to Powell:

Maybe the Celtics are just a summer away. Or perhaps two summers. Maybe three summers. Etc., etc.

By the looks of things, Ainge and the C's have enough to make a big run at someone on the trade market this year. If not, there's no doubt Danny will be making big moves next summer.

Topher Lane is on Twitter @Topher_L. Photo credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images.