Danny Ainge had a pretty simple plan.

Once the Celtics championship roster began to age, he wanted to make a move to be competitive in the future.

Stockpiling assets for a big score down the road was something he felt would work well in the end.

After Beantown's Big 3 era had dissipated, things have not worked out as planned.

Draft picks and a clean salary book were always the short term goal. It may have taken awhile, but he did make it happen like he wanted.

Attracting free agents have been a different case. The Celtics failed to land Kevin Durant last summer in a valiant effort to put the team on the next plateau.

Al Horford chose to come after a last-minute departure from the Atlanta Hawks. While his talents are an upgrade for any team, it's not quite what is needed to move up in the conference.

It's not common to find free agents tripping over themselves to make their way to Boston. The fans are great, the city is great and it has a rich NBA history.

Shaquille O'Neal who played for the Celtics at the end of his career offered an assist when doing an interview with CSNNE.com, and he has a message for free agents.

He says the team is one or two players away from competing, but to the rest of the players

“Hey, free agents. Boston is the s***. Trust me, it's a great town.”

We'll find out if that message rang through next summer.