The honeymoon is over for the Boston Celtics and the Big Three. Waaaaaaay over. So over that Celtics GM Danny Ainge talked to the Boston Globe earlier this week and openly revealed that if he was presented with the right offer, he wouldn't think twice about trading Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, or Kevin Garnett following the team's early-season struggles this year.
"I sat with Red [Auerbach] during a Christmas party [20 years ago]," Ainge said. "Red was talking to Larry [Bird], Kevin [McHale], and myself, and there was a lot of trade discussion at the time, and Red actually shared some of the trade discussions. And I told Red, 'What are you doing? Why are you waiting?' He had a chance to trade Larry [to Indiana] for Chuck Person and Herb Williams and [Steve] Stipanovich, and he had a chance to trade Kevin [to Dallas] for Detlef Schrempf and Sam Perkins. I was like, 'Are you kidding?'...I feel that way now. If I were presented with those kinds of deals for our aging veterans, it's a done deal, to continue the success."
Ouch. And that, friends, is the harsh reality of the NBA. Three or four years ago? Pierce, Allen, and Garnett were Boston's hometown heroes. Now, they're just trade bait to help the Celts bring in some new blood. Not that we necessarily disagree with Ainge's strategy, but damn. That's gotta hurt, guys.
[via Boston Globe]
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