NBA: Top 5 candidates for Executive of the Year Award in 2017-18

3. Danny Ainge

First things first: The Boston Celtics had a tremendous summer, and no one should tell you differently. Did they actually move any closer to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy in 2017-18? It’s hard to say. But they absolutely improved their championship outlook for the future, getting younger and arguably more talented in the process.

Yes, Danny Ainge had to give up a lot to sign Gordon Hayward and trade for Kyrie Irving. Gone are Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Ante Zizic, the shot at the No. 1 draft pick, the Brooklyn Nets pick and in a brutal gut-punch for fans, Isaiah Thomas.

Boston Celtics

But overpaying for Bradley and an injured, aging IT next summer was a risky proposition. Instead, Ainge stuck with the draft pick he wanted (Jayson Tatum) and traded down to where he’d still be available, snagging an additional first-rounder in the process.

Then he made room to sign an in-his-prime Hayward, and brought a younger Kyrie to Boston to spearhead the youth movement. Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes bolster the frontcourt to ensure this Celtics team is still pushing for the top spot in the East, and if Marcus Smart can step up this season, Boston will be a very pesky, much younger iteration of last year’s team.

Yes, they lost quite a bit of defense, a fan favorite and a potentially valuable Nets pick. But no one knows when Thomas will return for Cleveland this season, Brooklyn got better over the summer, and the Kyrie trade could very well push LeBron James out the door in free agency next summer.

By getting younger, adding an extra first-rounder and landing Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics not only remained a threat to win the East in 2018, but for the next 3-5 years as well. The only problem there is the Executive of the Year award is based on one season’s results, not long-term prosperity. That hurts Ainge’s case here.