Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today
Isaiah Thomas Might Never Talk To Danny Ainge Again
This past NBA offseason, Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cavaliers. Thomas was the heart and soul of the team and gave his absolute all for the franchise. The fan favorite identified with the Celtics like almost no other player has since Paul Pierce, and even played through injuries and personal tragedies.
Thomas was shocked about the trade, he never wanted to leave Boston, a city he used to call home. While there won’t be any bad blood towards the team and city, Thomas might never talk to Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge again. At least that’s what he told Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated:
When Sacramento let Thomas walk in 2014, he left town telling himself, “F— Sacramento. I’m about to kill those dudes.” When Phoenix exiled him the following winter, he pledged, “O.K., now they’re gonna get it.” But there will be no revenge tour this time. “Boston is going to be all love,” he vows, with one exception. “I might not ever talk to Danny again. That might not happen. I’ll talk to everybody else. But what he did, knowing everything I went through, you don’t do that, bro. That’s not right. I’m not saying eff you. But every team in this situation comes out a year or two later and says, ‘We made a mistake.’ That’s what they’ll say, too.”
Ainge, who always puts the franchise first, as we were able to see when he traded away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, to ensure a bright Cetlics future (the trade turned out to be the perfect way of rebuilding the team), knew that he needed to trade Thomas, who still is injured and who would have become a free agent next summer. But, even though it probably was the right thing to do for the franchise, it was one of the toughest calls he had to make as an executive. Ainge told the Boston Globe:
“It was definitely the toughest call I ever had to make. It’s in everybody’s best interest that I don’t share all the reasons [for the trade]. But the bottom line is obviously I felt like it was the right thing for our franchise to do. But it’s a deep and complicated process. It’s not as simple as people think it is.
It’s not easy for these office people that become great friends with the players. There’s a reality that I see and that’s what makes any sort of trade challenging. But it’s just part of the world that we live in, but it’s got to be done. You’ve got to do what’s best for the franchise. The franchise is bigger than all of us. Bigger than one individual.”
Danny Ainge says he understands Isaiah Thomas’ emotional reaction and why he said he wouldn’t talk to him again:
