Danny Ainge gets a ton of heat for how he’s chosen to approach trades in the past. He is well known for his fickle nature when it comes to trading away assets. The Celtics have been linked to multiple big names in the past, but Ainge’s reluctance to give up anything substantial caused those deals to never go through.
Finally, Ainge pulled the trigger on a trade for Kyrie Irving where he gave up significant pieces like Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and the Nets 2018 first-round pick. There was a point where the trade had the potential to be voided, but Ainge threw in a second round pick to sweeten the deal and make sure it went through.
Ainge sat down with the Celtics social media team to talk about the Irving deal, why they made it, and how he feels about Irving.
Danny Ainge calls Kyrie Irving “special” and explains his vision of the blockbuster trade that acquired the All-Star point guard.
It’s no surprise that Ainge had nothing but praise to say about Irving, but there were some interesting tidbits in there. He did say that Irving’s defense needed to improve, but he mentioned that Irving is a better passer than he’s given credit for.
“You’ll see that he’s a better passer. I think people that watch Kyrie play a lot can see his passing and his potential there as a passer. LeBron was pretty much the point guard in Cleveland and Kyrie was a point guard often when LeBron wasn’t on the court. I think that he’s a fantastic passer and I think that defensively he’s got to improve and I think he will in Brad’s system”
Ainge also casually mentioned that Irving is not the first player the Celtics have offered a lot of assets for. However, he didn’t dive too deep into that or what players he may have been referring to. There have been rumors that the Pacers ignored a big offer from Boston for Paul George, but those have never been confirmed or denied.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
