Bobby Portis: "We all knew that (Durant and Kyrie would go to Brooklyn)."

[Moranis]

Danny could not Trade Irving...  That's not how you GM in today's NBA if you are serious about wanting other great players to come play...

He was forced to sit and stew in it but I am sure he knew.... You just can't do anything.. Fanbase would have gone crazy and Agents and other teams would use that against us in the Recruiting game...  (We already have enough problems as it is)

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let the Train wreck and pick up the pieces... Which Danny has masterfully done.

Yeah, who's trading for a player everyone knows is going to Brooklyn at the end of the year....

The Clippers, the Knicks, the Lakers, and the Nets all come to mind.  Leaving Boston to go to Brooklyn is a lot different than leaving LA or NY to go to Brooklyn. 

Perhaps the Nets would have traded Russell.  Maybe the C's could have picked up Harris from the Clippers.  Maybe before the Porzinigis trade, Boston could have acquired him from NY.  The Lakers might have given up most of what they gave the Pelicans for Davis (not as much, but most). 

Not trading Irving turns out to have been a mistake.  Ainge absolutely should have read the room better and done something at the deadline (even if you keep Irving, not doing anything was a huge mistake).  And to be clear, I said all of this at the deadline.  Boston standing pat was the death knell of the team.

[gpap]

Danny could not Trade Irving...  That's not how you GM in today's NBA if you are serious about wanting other great players to come play...

He was forced to sit and stew in it but I am sure he knew.... You just can't do anything.. Fanbase would have gone crazy and Agents and other teams would use that against us in the Recruiting game...  (We already have enough problems as it is)

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let the Train wreck and pick up the pieces... Which Danny has masterfully done.

I don't understand. If you know your star player is leaving, why wouldn't you at least attempt to move him and get something in return? Isn't that why he traded Perkins?

[gpap]

If they all knew that means that Danny knew as well..
Why didn’t he trade Irving at the deadline?
Was he thinking we had a shot... that’s delusional

Great question.

Which is why (in my eyes) Ainge has taken it on the chin in the last year.

Certainly his public approval hasn't suffered at all here in Boston (heaven forbid) but he hasn't been on his A game and has been a step behind (ie...putting all his eggs into AD basket, not improving team at trade deadline, letting Kyrie walk without getting anything in return when one week prior to trade deadline he said "ask me July 1st" about free agency, etc.)

And then the stupid comment about how him and Kyrie have "an engagement." An engagement for Kyrie to give Ainge the finger after season's end.

[NKY fan]

I bet there was an internal discussion whether to move Kyrie or not at the deadline.
For whatever reasons they probably decided it’s not worth it..
I was suggesting at the deadline sending him to Houston for unprotected picks after 2023 ... maybe we could have don’t that

[gpap]

I bet there was an internal discussion whether to move Kyrie or not at the deadline.
For whatever reasons they probably decided it’s not worth it..
I was suggesting at the deadline sending him to Houston for unprotected picks after 2023 ... maybe we could have don’t that

I think Ainge could've gotten very creative. He could've dealt Kyrie to New York for Porzingis. He could've then dealt for AD and perhaps the Celts go further in the playoffs.

Knowing that even Bobby Ports knew "among all players in NBA that Kyrie was leaving" changes everything. How could Ainge have just stood pat if this was common knowledge? Boy, has he been taken to the woodshed in the last year!!

[gpap]

Danny could not Trade Irving...  That's not how you GM in today's NBA if you are serious about wanting other great players to come play...

He was forced to sit and stew in it but I am sure he knew.... You just can't do anything.. Fanbase would have gone crazy and Agents and other teams would use that against us in the Recruiting game...  (We already have enough problems as it is)

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let the Train wreck and pick up the pieces... Which Danny has masterfully done.

Yeah, who's trading for a player everyone knows is going to Brooklyn at the end of the year....

The Clippers, the Knicks, the Lakers, and the Nets all come to mind.  Leaving Boston to go to Brooklyn is a lot different than leaving LA or NY to go to Brooklyn. 

Perhaps the Nets would have traded Russell.  Maybe the C's could have picked up Harris from the Clippers.  Maybe before the Porzinigis trade, Boston could have acquired him from NY.  The Lakers might have given up most of what they gave the Pelicans for Davis (not as much, but most). 

Not trading Irving turns out to have been a mistake.  Ainge absolutely should have read the room better and done something at the deadline (even if you keep Irving, not doing anything was a huge mistake).  And to be clear, I said all of this at the deadline.  Boston standing pat was the death knell of the team.

Totally agree. Ainge could've traded Kyrie for Porzingis and then flipped him in a deal to New Orleans for AD. Or kept Porzingis and still have traded for AD (especially when there was no way in hell Dell Demps going to trade AD to the Lakers.)

What a disaster.

[Fafnir]

Rumors are always referred to as solid foreknowledge after the fact. Hindsight is one hell of a drug.

[obnoxiousmime]

Danny could not Trade Irving...  That's not how you GM in today's NBA if you are serious about wanting other great players to come play...

He was forced to sit and stew in it but I am sure he knew.... You just can't do anything.. Fanbase would have gone crazy and Agents and other teams would use that against us in the Recruiting game...  (We already have enough problems as it is)

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let the Train wreck and pick up the pieces... Which Danny has masterfully done.

Yeah, who's trading for a player everyone knows is going to Brooklyn at the end of the year....

The Clippers, the Knicks, the Lakers, and the Nets all come to mind.  Leaving Boston to go to Brooklyn is a lot different than leaving LA or NY to go to Brooklyn. 

Perhaps the Nets would have traded Russell.  Maybe the C's could have picked up Harris from the Clippers.  Maybe before the Porzinigis trade, Boston could have acquired him from NY.  The Lakers might have given up most of what they gave the Pelicans for Davis (not as much, but most). 

Not trading Irving turns out to have been a mistake.  Ainge absolutely should have read the room better and done something at the deadline (even if you keep Irving, not doing anything was a huge mistake).  And to be clear, I said all of this at the deadline.  Boston standing pat was the death knell of the team.

Totally agree. Ainge could've traded Kyrie for Porzingis and then flipped him in a deal to New Orleans for AD. Or kept Porzingis and still have traded for AD (especially when there was no way in hell Dell Demps going to trade AD to the Lakers.)

What a disaster.

I think the idea of a trade to the NYK is actually quite feasible. The Knicks organization (different GM) traded a bunch of assets for Carmelo even though they could have waited half a season or a season to get him for nothing. The only reason was to make him happy since he wanted to leave Denver at that moment. Sure, you also get a little assurance he's in-house 100% as opposed to having to wait until unrestricted free agency, that has some value.

In terms of the Clippers, I doubt they would have dealt SGA unless Kyrie committed, and we know there's no way he would have. So maybe they risk it for a lesser player? I believe they had cap space so the salaries wouldn't have had to match.

We'll probably never know what they could have gotten or how seriously they entertained dealing him. To not even ever consider it, though, I think would have been a mistake. Even if they hadn't gotten some great asset back, the way the season and playoffs ended you can make the argument they should have gotten rid of him anyway. It was just so depressing and toxic and not enjoyable to root for.

[IDreamCeltics]

If they all knew that means that Danny knew as well..
Why didn’t he trade Irving at the deadline?
Was he thinking we had a shot... that’s delusional

you make up a hypothetical scenario, then you hold ainge responsible for it. please provide the links or evidence what you posit was the really case. Or, that portis is not simply making this up. Or, how ainge et al would know when the media didn't.

I am not the original poster .. I just commented based on the statement from Portis ...judging by how danny handles business he should have traded Irving ..... the only reason I can think of him not trading Kyrie is if he thought Kyrie can take us to the finals like Leonard did with Toronto

This makes the most sense.  Ainge probably legitimately thought Kyrie could take the team to the promised land.  I'm 100% sure he didn't believe he'd quit on the team 1 game into the second round (although he did kinda quit on the team the year before in retrospect).

But hey, being mad at Kyrie is like being mad at cancer.  It's better to just be grateful it's gone and move on with your life.

[celticsclay]

Danny could not Trade Irving...  That's not how you GM in today's NBA if you are serious about wanting other great players to come play...

He was forced to sit and stew in it but I am sure he knew.... You just can't do anything.. Fanbase would have gone crazy and Agents and other teams would use that against us in the Recruiting game...  (We already have enough problems as it is)

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let the Train wreck and pick up the pieces... Which Danny has masterfully done.

Yeah, who's trading for a player everyone knows is going to Brooklyn at the end of the year....

The Clippers, the Knicks, the Lakers, and the Nets all come to mind.  Leaving Boston to go to Brooklyn is a lot different than leaving LA or NY to go to Brooklyn. 

Perhaps the Nets would have traded Russell.  Maybe the C's could have picked up Harris from the Clippers.  Maybe before the Porzinigis trade, Boston could have acquired him from NY.  The Lakers might have given up most of what they gave the Pelicans for Davis (not as much, but most). 

Not trading Irving turns out to have been a mistake.  Ainge absolutely should have read the room better and done something at the deadline (even if you keep Irving, not doing anything was a huge mistake).  And to be clear, I said all of this at the deadline.  Boston standing pat was the death knell of the team.

I mean we got walker to replace irving... isn't not trading horford the bigger mistake? We got kanter to replace him!

[gpap]

Just seems to be contradicting.

In the Perkins thread, we are led to believe Ainge did the right thing in trading Perk because he thought Perk was going to walk.

Here, Ainge doesn't trade Kyrie even though he did leave Boston and Ainge got nothing for him.

[footey]

Danny could not Trade Irving...  That's not how you GM in today's NBA if you are serious about wanting other great players to come play...

He was forced to sit and stew in it but I am sure he knew.... You just can't do anything.. Fanbase would have gone crazy and Agents and other teams would use that against us in the Recruiting game...  (We already have enough problems as it is)

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let the Train wreck and pick up the pieces... Which Danny has masterfully done.

Yeah, who's trading for a player everyone knows is going to Brooklyn at the end of the year....

The Clippers, the Knicks, the Lakers, and the Nets all come to mind.  Leaving Boston to go to Brooklyn is a lot different than leaving LA or NY to go to Brooklyn. 

Perhaps the Nets would have traded Russell.  Maybe the C's could have picked up Harris from the Clippers.  Maybe before the Porzinigis trade, Boston could have acquired him from NY.  The Lakers might have given up most of what they gave the Pelicans for Davis (not as much, but most). 

Not trading Irving turns out to have been a mistake.  Ainge absolutely should have read the room better and done something at the deadline (even if you keep Irving, not doing anything was a huge mistake).  And to be clear, I said all of this at the deadline.  Boston standing pat was the death knell of the team.

You were favoring making a trade before the deadline. I don’t recall you were proposing we trade Kyrie before deadline. I could be mistaken. What was your Kyrie trade proposal back then?

[Diggles]

Danny could have known.   But Danny could have also thought that we would gel in the playoffs and make a run at the title.   So I can't blame him for "not" trading him.    I wanted him to trade for AD, and I'm glad he didn't.   Easy to point fingers.    Arm chair GMs have no real consequences.   Thats why I propose a million trades.   If I did that in real life, no FA would ever sign with my team.  LOL

[csfansince60s]

Rumors are always referred to as solid foreknowledge after the fact. Hindsight is one hell of a drug.

TP, Faf! And that drug is causing many to have faulty judgment to assume things that are unlikely.

The premise of this whole thread is fallacious. Portis (that self aggrandizing punk chump) and every player in the NBA did not KNOW that both Irving and Durant would be in BK for sure. They may have strongly believed it, but assuredly, they didn’t KNOW it.

If,  in the very unlikely scenario that everyone knew it because it was a done deal, then I would hope that both Golden State and the Celtics pursue tampering charges against the Nets. Because if it was a done deal, organizationally, at the very highest level, the Nets had to be involved.

I hope this doesn’t end well for the Nyets. Diva Irving is not the epitome of a durable player, nor is Diva Durant. Heck, the Nets may not see GS Durant until the ‘21-‘22 season, if ever. And Irving has proven to be a weirdo malcontent. Lots of things to go wrong.

EDIT: Not that it’s needed, but I’m putting the Mal’occhio on that team right now!

[gpap]

Danny could have known.   But Danny could have also thought that we would gel in the playoffs and make a run at the title.   So I can't blame him for "not" trading him.    I wanted him to trade for AD, and I'm glad he didn't.   Easy to point fingers.    Arm chair GMs have no real consequences.   Thats why I propose a million trades.   If I did that in real life, no FA would ever sign with my team.  LOL

He didn't trade for AD because AD didn't want to come here.