Photo Credit: AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Cavs Player Called Danny Ainge A ‘F**king Thief’ Because Of The Kyrie Irving Trade

Last year, was an incredibly busy summer for Danny Ainge. He traded away the No. 1 pick, because he knew that Jayson Tatum, who the Celtics wanted, would still be available for their (then) No.3 pick. Then, Ainge managed to sign All Star forward Gordon Hayward. That would have been a great summer already, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Because in a deal no one really saw coming, the Celtics brought in Kyrie Irving. They had to give up the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 draft pick, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, a second round pick, and, most gruesome for Celtics fans, Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas was the heart and soul of the team and gave his absolute all for the franchise. The fan favorite identified with the Celtics franchise like almost no other player has since Paul Pierce, and even played through injuries and personal tragedies.

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. But even though it was the right thing to do for the franchise, it was one of the toughest calls he had to make as an executive.

As we know today, it was the best possible decision for the Celtics. The Cavs on the other hand though tore down their roster at the trade deadline with mediocre success.

According to an article from The Athletic, the chemistry was so bad in Cleveland that a Cavs player was blaming Danny Ainge for robbing the Cavaliers.

The toxicity level was so high at one point during this season in Hiroshima that one Cavs player turned and looked at me after one of many particularly ugly winter losses.

“Danny Ainge is a (expletive) thief,” he said. No explanation needed.

I guess it’s true, one man’s meat is another man’s poison.