Boston Celtics: Danny Ainge's 5 best trades with the Celtics

Boston Celtics: 5 best trades Danny Ainge ever made

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 14: Boston Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge looks on before action between the Boston Celtics and the LA Clippers at TD Garden on February 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

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Boston Celtics Paul Pierce (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

2. The Boston Celtics and “The Brooklyn Trade” (2013)

Sadly, all great things must come to an end.

By the summer of 2013, it was clear that Celtics legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were well past their primes, and that they were no longer capable of leading Boston to an NBA championship. Thus, Ainge had to make the incredibly difficult decision to trade his two aging superstars to the Brooklyn Nets and rebuild the Celtics from the ground up.

What made this deal so impressive was the array of draft picks that Ainge was able to land in return for Pierce and Garnett. The Celtics received three first round picks from Brooklyn, as well as the right to swap first round picks in 2017. While several of those picks have yet to amount to much of anything, Ainge struck gold on two of them in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

As long as Tatum and Brown are with the Celtics, this blockbuster deal will continue to live on. And if the two of them are able to bring a title back to Boston, it would certainly put a gold stamp on Ainge’s legacy.

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