SALT LAKE CITY -- Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said the team's success this season, combined with the war chest of assets at his disposal, made it tempting to make an impulse move before Thursday's trade deadline.

But Ainge has preached patience throughout his team's accelerated climb back to being a legitimate contender, and while the right move might have vaulted Boston even closer to that desired level, that move never materialized. So Ainge calmly closed the lid on Boston's draft-pick prize box and pledged to start planning for the next chance to cash in those assets, in late June.

"I would say the success of our team this season might have made it more tempting to do something that wasn't just strictly long-term thinking. Maybe some short-term thinking to help us get better came into play and we had a lot of conversations in that regard, but there was nothing we were willing to do," said Ainge. "Because the team has played well, it would have been nice for the now and for the playoff run to upgrade our roster, but [our success] also says a lot about our roster.

"People around the league respect our team and respect our players, and we do, too. We have a lot of good, solid, young players. We have a lot of players on good contracts and the league knows that. A lot of people tried to get those from us, but, at the end of the day, I think we are in a better position by not doing any of the deals that were brought to our table."

Compared to the frenetic 2015 trade deadline, the 2016 version was a dud -- and not just in Boston, where constant rumbles about Boston pursuing big names like Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Al Horford might have unfairly elevated the expectations of some fans. Ainge hinted that he pursued the sort of "fireworks" moves that Celtics fans have been clamoring for, but he believes better opportunities to light up the sky will exist at June's draft and the free-agency period that follows in July.

That comes as little solace to Celtics fans who believe the team is overdue to cash in and missing an opportunity in an Eastern Conference that's wide open beyond the front-running Cavaliers. But Ainge simply believes better opportunities await when this season ends.

"We have an opportunity in the spring and during the summer to make our team better -- much better than the opportunity we had at this time in February," said Ainge. "We are anxious for the spring and summer, and to have another crack at it."

So the Celtics were content to circle May 17 on their calendars. That's not only the date of the 2016 draft lottery, but also the scheduled start of the Eastern Conference finals (and Boston fans can still daydream about the team having to pull double duty that night).

The Celtics will find out that night where the unprotected first-round pick being delivered by the Brooklyn Nets will land. Entering the final two months of the regular season, that Nets pick currently has a 14.9 percent chance to be No. 1 overall, a 44.9 percent chance at being top-3 and a 91 percent chance at being top-5, according to projections by ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

It's no surprise then that Boston elected to hold onto that pick on Thursday, though Ainge acknowledged the team had some discussions about players that might have forced Boston to consider dealing the pick (particularly given its uncertain value before the lottery placement). Some pingpong luck in May could ultimately increase the value, or position Boston to snag the sort of young talent who could ensure its status as a contender deep into the future.

Until that night, Boston's front office can maintain its tireless scouting process -- a necessity with eight possible picks this year, including three first-rounders -- and there's still the fun of watching what these chemistry-oozing Celtics build off their first-half success.

Boston, which resumes play Friday night against the Utah Jazz, sits nine games over .500 (32-23) and third in the Eastern Conference. BPI projects Boston with an 85.5 percent chance at snagging home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs by being a top-4 seed, a 32.8 percent chance of getting to the East finals and a 15.2 percent chance at the NBA Finals.

The Celtics seemed somewhat relieved to have the deadline behind them, and practice had a light atmosphere. When 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas wasn't delivering bounce-ball slams, he was playfully arguing with teammate Marcus Smart about foul calls during a practice scrimmage. Players were in no hurry to catch the team bus after their post-deadline afternoon practice.

Maybe that's because, after a year or so of perpetual change, Boston players were a bit relieved to remain intact. What's more, there's no need to integrate new faces now -- unless a player is snagged to fill David Lee's soon-to-be void following a buyout -- just a desire to build on what's already been accomplished.

"It’s time to go now," said Jae Crowder. "It’s time to roll. We’re all locked in."

Coach Brad Stevens thinks his team was a little bit less tense this year while hoping that continuity would be maintained.

"I thought it was just kind of the same old, same old," said Stevens. "We talked [Wednesday] and I told them, 'Who knows what’s gonna happen?' You never know for sure. Obviously, living what I lived and watching all the different trades we made the last two years and seeing the last-minute trades again today, those are things that guys are on their toes for. But we just didn’t anticipate as much change this year, because, again, we like the guys around here. They’re good guys."