Danny Ainge has a strong relationship with Griffin (Griffin worked on Ainge's coaching/video staff in Phoenix). Have a feeling those guys will be talking a lot in the next few months.
https://mobile.twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1116803375377604608Old article
"Danny Ainge: Prior Personal Relationships 'Increase Odds of Making a Deal'"
https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2364246-danny-ainge-prior-personal-relationships-increase-odds-of-making-a-deal.amp.htmlIn just the last two months, four of the five trades Ainge has made included teams that employ front-office executives who have directly worked with Ainge in the past two decades. Some coached under him with the Phoenix Suns in the mid-1990s (Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson). Others had been former front-office lieutenants in Boston (Suns GM Ryan McDonough, Los Angeles Clippers GM Dave Wohl, Memphis Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace).
In a exclusive interview ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 19, Bleacher Report sat down with Ainge to discuss his recent dealings with former colleagues, and whether trading with someone you know is an emerging trend around the league.
Bleacher Report: In the past few months, you have made trades with a variety of teams (Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers) that employ executives you have worked with, either in Boston or at other stops in your career. How much of an impact do the relationships you have formed with those guys have on making the deals?
Danny Ainge: I think it’s easier to talk to people you know. The better you know them, the easier it is to deal with them. Ultimately, still, in most deals, it’s all dependent on the transaction involved, more than any personal relationship.
A personal relationship is not necessary or mandatory in any dealings, but I think it does help and increase the odds of making a deal, if there is a deal [to be made], sure.
B/R: Do you feel like it’s becoming a trend around the league for executives to trade with people they know well to eliminate risk? Obviously, any deal that is made comes down to the players involved most of the time, but are teams more sensitive to getting burned in trade talks, whether it’s due to leaks in social media or leaking information to other teams?
Ainge: I think it is a concern. There are a lot of leaks in a lot of organizations. We take notice of what gets out when we talk with other teams and how those things are leaked, so that might prevent us from making a phone call in a sensitive situation until we know for sure. There are all sorts of exploratory conversations and then there are real conversations.