Danny Ainge has stepped down as president of basketball operations and general manager of the Boston Celtics. He leaves behind an interesting legacy.
A former player himself, Danny Ainge was both an executive capable of accruing draft capital while also being a GM known for making “almost” trades, so to speak.
Still, Ainge has made his share of big moves since he took over as the team's GM in 2003. Let's take a closer look at five of the best.
5. Bringing IT to the Garden
Isaiah Thomas did not have the longest tenure with the Celtics, but he became something of a folk hero in Boston. That earns the deal for IT a spot on the list.
The Celtics traded Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first-round pick (Skal Labissiere) to the Phoenix Suns in order to acquire Thomas ahead of the 2015 trade deadline. Thomas came off the bench in his first brief stint with the C's, but soon became a star in Beantown.
Thomas was a starter and made his first All-Star during the 2015-16 campaign. He also helped lead the Celtics to eight more wins.
However, Thomas' first full season in Boston merely turned out to be a precursor to one of the most historic seasons in NBA history. The 5'9″ guard averaged 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 campaign and became known as “King of the Fourth Quarter” as he helped lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Danny Ainge looked like a genius for bringing Thomas in for such a light price, though his decision to move Thomas for Kyrie Irving in the summer of 2017 was far more polarizing.
4. Trading down for Tatum
The Boston Celtics owned the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft thanks to a deal we will get to shortly. Rather than make the pick, however, Ainge maneuvered to get added draft capital.
Boston traded the No. 1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the No. 3 pick and a first-round pick in 2019. It felt like quite the gamble at the time.
In hindsight, however, it was a stroke of genius.
The player Boston wanted all along–Jayson Tatum–fell to the Celtics at No. 3 after the Sixers took Markelle Fultz and the Phoenix Suns selected Josh Jackson. He has since blossomed into a superstar.
Tatum elevated once again this past season despite an early bout with COVID-19 that impacted him for months on end. He posted career-high marks in scoring average (26.4 points), rebounds (7.4) and assists (4.0).
It was a disappointing season for the Celtics, but Tatum provided indelible moments even in the last couple weeks alone, scoring 50 points in the play-in game against the Washington Wizards and repeating the feat in a Game 3 victory of the Brooklyn Nets.
The 2019 first-round pick from this deal ended up being Romeo Langford, who has hardly seen the floor. That practically doesn't matter, though. Tatum is developing into one of the very best players in the league, which makes all the difference.
3. Ray Allen becomes the second superstar in eventual Celtics trio
Ainge and the Celtics were desperate to make a splash and surround Paul Pierce with talent ahead of the 2007-08 season. Fortunately, the organization had the chance to go after a pair of disgruntled stars.
Ray Allen had labored on a Seattle SuperSonics team for years, with the Sonics making the playoffs just once during his time in Seattle. The franchise was also skewing younger after the Sonics selected Kevin Durant with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft.
So, Ainge pulled off a deal to send Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the No. 5 pick in the 2007 draft (Jeff Green) to the Sonics in exchange for Allen.
The Hall of Famer became Boston's sniper and a reputable bucket-getter at the 2-guard spot. He also provided numerous playoff heroics during his time with the Celtics.
Allen might have left Boston on somewhat shaky terms, but he was still a vital piece of the “Big Three.”
2. The Nets blockbuster
The 2013 blockbuster between the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets might be the worst deal ever from Brooklyn's perspective. It has proven to be a gold mine for Ainge and the Celtics.
Boston sent aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Piece–along with Jason Terry, D.J. White and a pair of 2017 draft picks–to the Nets in exchange for a five-player package and four first-round picks.
The player package is inconsequential here. We are only concerned with the picks, and boy did they ever pay dividends.
Two of those first-rounders turned into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, both of whom are franchise cornerstones and quickly becoming two of the top talents in basketball. Another was the pick the Celtics traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers (Collin Sexton) in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
Garnett and Pierce were well past their primes at the time of this deal. Ainge managed to begin the transition early, and that transition has yielded a pair of superstars.
1. The Big Ticket completes the Big Three
Acquiring Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves will always be the crown jewel of Ainge's tenure with the Celtics because of what it meant to the franchise.
Ainge shipped off a multi-player package that included Al Jefferson in addition to a pair of first-round picks, the largest deal for one player.
Garnett's arrival in Boston officially gave the Celtics their “Big Three” and saw the franchise win its first NBA title since 1986.
The “Big Ticket,” like Ray Allen and Pierce, had to sacrifice some touches to make things work especially on the offensive end. But he was still a capable low-post scorer who was incredibly underrated as a passer and one of the best interior defenders in the sport.
Injuries would unfortunately begin to impact Garnett early in his Celtics tenure. Still, his All-NBA First Team nod and the title during the 2007-08 season alone practically make this the No. 1 deal in the Ainge era.
Not to mention, the move essentially created the modern NBA in terms of needing at least two superstars to win a title.
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