WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens is taking a diplomatic approach to the early arrival of trade rumor season around his team, opening his office door to those who want to discuss any of the chatter while hoping it allows his team to stay focused on the action on the court.

With the Celtics engaged in trade talks surrounding team captain Rajon Rondo, including substantive talks with the Dallas Mavericks about a potential swap, Stevens didn't shy away from the topic of trade chatter Thursday and stressed that his biggest challenge is keeping his team locked in on its next game.

"We experienced [trade rumors] all the way through last year," said Stevens, noting he's learned from his first trip through the trade whisper windmill during his rookie coaching campaign last season. "From my standpoint, the most challenging thing of it is just coaching the group and making sure that everybody knows that we’re focused on playing Minnesota [on Friday] and we’re focused on doing what we need to do to get everybody playing at the best level that they can. I think that a lot of these guys that are older have probably dealt with the talk throughout their years in the league. But I don’t know that it’s ever not unsettling.

"So the door is open if anybody wants to talk about it and those type of things. I don’t talk a ton to [Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge] and his staff, they only [talk trades] if there’s really something that I need to know, right? But it’s one of those things, you just try to do your job the best you can through all the circumstances."

While many coaches attempt to simply ignore the trade chatter or downplay it, Stevens recognizes the emotional obstacle it can present.

"I look at it, first and foremost, everybody is a person," said Stevens. "There’s a lot of emotions that go into those things, and a lot of things that you have to be aware that people can be affected by that. It’s not as easy as saying to your 12 guys, ‘Go play your best.’ You’ve got to make sure that you continue to work, you focus, you help everybody that you can. And then the door is open to talk if people want to talk."

Added Stevens: "I just want [the players] to know that that’s an option. And I won’t necessarily outwardly say that, but our doors are always open. The one thing that I would change about our [practice] facility here is I’d like my office to be on the first floor so that I get a chance to see everybody every day and walk by before practice. But I think that, these guys know, and hopefully they know that we’re approachable and we’re happy to talk about that, and talk about the challenges that come with those rumors and all those other things. Also to be able to say, 'Hey, we’ve all got a task and we’ve all got a job and we still have to focus on that.'"

Stevens was asked if he'd have a larger role or more input in deciding roster moves this season, but said he'd defer to Ainge and his staff while noting, "I just want to be in the loop as they deem appropriate. They are good at their jobs. I’m hired to coach."

Stevens admitted that you could see the impact of trade rumors around the deadline in February, suggesting a bit of anxiety might have turned to relief for players, including Rondo. But after nearly five minutes of trade-related questions on Thursday, Stevens politely tried to steer reporters off the topic.

"It’s part of the NBA. I don’t want to focus on things that aren’t there, right?" he said. "So, at the end of the day, my focus is on -- today, we have a film session, followed by a practice, followed by a visit to a local hospital, and we have to have a great day as a group. We have to have a great day as a team. And it needs to be a productive day to move forward. My focus can’t be on anything else other than that."