I gave the deal a "B," but not for any shortcoming on Ainge's part. I think he did the absolute best he could possibly do given the circumstances, particularly with the TPE about to expire.
However, it's hard to give it an "A" when this doesn't really change anything. This deal doesn't make the Celtics a playoff team and it doesn't really get them much closer to acquiring someone like Love.
Furthermore, while Thorton's expiring deal could be useful in a trade, there's a greater likelihood he goes the way of Kris Humphries and simply expires for us next summer. While Tyler Zeller may prove to be a useful backup caliber center, there's a greater likelihood that he's a bust or a useful backup for someone else by the time we're relevant again. And while there's a chance the pick brings value, there's a greater chance the pick is a bust.
Again, none of this is a knock on Danny. He did absolutely the right thing in making this deal. There certainly are no sure things in sports. And Danny took something that was about to have no value and gave it value.
I'm just not doing cartwheels around my house about it.