Boston Celtics: Danny Ainge’s last run isn’t how he should be remembered

The foundation Danny Ainge built for the Boston Celtics

As the crowning achievement that has been discussed ad nauseam over the last few years, the Boston Celtics took everything from the Brooklyn Nets. On the night of the 2013 NBA Draft Ainge sent Garnett, Pierce, Jason Terry, DJ White and a conditional second-round pick to the Nets for Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, Gerald Wallace, a 2014 first-round pick (James Young), 2016 first-round pick (Jaylen Brown), 2018 first-round pick and the right to swap picks in 2017. The 2017 pick is part of the Tatum trade referenced above that turned out to be the number one overall pick. The 2018 pick was used as the sweetener to make the deal for Kyrie Irving.

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This trade helped build the future that the Celtics are currently in the midst of. Selecting Tatum and Brown were not homerun picks at the time of the draft. Tatum was debated between De’Aaron Fox and Josh Jackson and moving back from number one stunning at the time given the profile of Markelle Fultz coming out of college. Many had slid Jaylen Brown to the seen to 10 range. Not every pick went the way Ainge wanted, but these were strokes of genius. Trading a number one overall pick, especially one projected to be a home run before the draft, takes true belief in what you are doing. Getting it completely right is the sweetest feeling.

For the Celtics, this was about starting over from the final stages of an aging core to building around the future and that led to three Conference Finals appearances in four seasons. Just because his final season came to an unceremonious end does not change just how well he set the Celtics up for the future.