Rumor: Ainge tried like hell to trade Walker

[Ed Monix]

Kemba Walker trade rumors: Celtics ‘tried like hell’ to trade guard; Danny Ainge knew knee wasn’t right.

Making an appearance on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, NBA analyst Ric Bucher said Ainge tried to move Celtics guard Kemba Walker earlier this year, who’s been recovering his knee from an offseason injection.

“A lot of GMs are ticked off at Danny because Danny tried like hell to move Kemba at the beginning of the year, knowing that his knee wasn’t right,” Bucher said. “He was trying to get rid of damaged goods. That’s the issue that Kemba is dealing with, and at his size, it’s a little bit like Isaiah Thomas.”

*** my apologies if this was already reported***

[todd_days_41]

Did Ainge try to hide his injury? I doubt it -- his knee troubles were known end of last season to the world.

That Danny knew Walker's value was / is going to continue to fall is all the more reason to continue to try to move him. He could be essentially untradable for any sort of value or even expirings once the deadline passes, if he's not already.

Example: could Danny trade Kemba to CHI for Porter -- straight up? Probably not.

I hope Kemba the player recovers, but i fear Kemba the "asset" will be a major clog in Ainge's ability to improve the team over the next couple of seasons. His signing never made a ton of sense -- even when he was healthy.

[Ed Monix]

Did Ainge try to hide his injury? I doubt it -- his knee troubles were known end of last season to the world.

That Danny knew Walker's value was / is going to continue to fall is all the more reason to continue to try to move him. He could be essentially untradable for any sort of value or even expirings once the deadline passes, if he's not already.

Example: could Danny trade Kemba to CHI for Porter -- straight up? Probably not.

I hope Kemba the player recovers, but i fear Kemba the "asset" will be a major clog in Ainge's ability to improve the team over the next couple of seasons. His signing never made a ton of sense -- even when he was healthy.

I would take this with a grain of salt as Ric Bucher is a notoriously unreliable source, that is why I put it as a rumour not a direct source report.

But I thought it was information that might interest everyone either way. Perhaps if more independent information or reliable journalists state something similar there may be true in this.

[knuckleballer]

silly season

[86MaxwellSmart]

Bucher said Kobe was 100% going to the Bulls in 2006-2007, before they got Gasol....dude sucks.

[Roy H.]

Bucher is a fraud.  He literally makes stuff up.

[GreenlyGreeny]

Ainge’s rep has been in the toilet since IT. Whether true or not, this sounds true, so yeah...

...the sooner we part with Danny, the better off we’ll be...

[Moranis]

listening to it in context it isn't nearly as harsh or bad as it looks pulled out of everything. 

[jambr380]

Ainge’s rep has been in the toilet since IT. Whether true or not, this sounds true, so yeah...

...the sooner we part with Danny, the better off we’ll be...

Just knock it off. You're first comment is nonsense. AD wanted to go play with Lebron; freakin' Kevin Garnett told him to go play with Lebron. Just because AD's dad said something to take AD's #1 suitor out of the running doesn't make it true.

As for this rumor, I doubt that opposing GMs were 'ticked off'. That just sounds made up and is contrary to all the GM opinions we heard about Danny and the front office in that recent report. Even if it is true, GMs should be a lot less 'ticked off' about it now. Kemba is moving extremely well - he just doesn't quite have his efficiency back yet. If you were previously a Kemba fan, there is a lot to excited about moving forward. If you don't like small guards with middling efficiency, then of course you are going to continue finding everything wrong about him/his game moving forward. At the very least, I would say Kemba's value is certainly higher than it was this previous off-season.

[Vermont Green]

“A lot of GMs are ticked off at Danny because Danny tried like hell to move Kemba at the beginning of the year, knowing that his knee wasn’t right,” Bucher said. “He was trying to get rid of damaged goods. That’s the issue that Kemba is dealing with, and at his size, it’s a little bit like Isaiah Thomas.”

If you take the quote literally, what does "at the beginning of the year" mean.  Does it mean at the beginning of 2020 (Jan 2020) or does it mean the beginning of the season (say Oct 2020)?  Or does it mean the beginning of 2021?

If he was trying to trade Kemba in Jan 2020, and the other GMs didn't know about the knee, that could be fair criticism.  But if these discussions were at the beginning of the season or at the beginning of 2021, then the knee issues were 100% public information.

[NKY fan]

What does trying like hell mean? he is delusional to expect a top 10 pick for Kemba.
On the other hand shroeder was available for a very late pick and Danny didn't go for that. Shoreder is exactly what the Js need. Instead he gave up his late first rounder for 2 middling second rounders who knows how far into the future.
I think this offseason has got to be Danny's worst like Colangelo type of an offseason.

[Neurotic Guy]

I am not terribly good at sniffing out BS, but this sounds like BS to me.  It's almost as if to suggest that GMs are children who don't know how to make a decision.  Anyone who would not be wary of Kemba's knees should not be a GM and should not be making trades. And there is the reality that players are evaluated physically prior to finalizing trades and Ainge actually might know this.   With that said, Kemba actually doesn't particularly look like a guy with "done" knees to me.  Moving pretty well and rounding into shape.  I'm not arguing he's a good fit here, just saying that I think it's a legit possibility that he returns to form and that he could be a valuable piece for the right team.

Kemba quite literally has a player option in less than 18 months from now. Despite the grief I'll get for saying this, it wouldn't shock me if Kemba exercises his option. Kemba has made a boatload of money in the NBA -- at the end of 2021-22 he will have made more than $150M.   I think it's possible that Kemba will opt out or come to a buyout agreement if he feels he can't earn it (or just wants out).  He may feel that seeking a 3-year contract at 20M (for example) is a better long-term situation for him.

Lastly, "tried like hell" is so subjective.  That could mean just about anything and speaks to an analyst's opinion as opposed to Danny's actual frame of mind.

[gift]

Everyone knew Kemba had a knee issue and he'd have to pass a physical for a trade to be completed. It's not like Ainge thought he was going to get away with anything.

[Tr1boy]

Ainge’s rep has been in the toilet since IT. Whether true or not, this sounds true, so yeah...

...the sooner we part with Danny, the better off we’ll be...

It hasn't been great dating all the way back to what happened to Toine (twice)

Unless by some miracle the team can turn it around.  I think Walker won't finish out his contract as a Celtic

Danny won't entertain the idea to trading either of the Jays, until other options are explored/exhausted 1st.

[BringToughnessBack]

Anything to get a click or  a set of eyes on an article. Ridiculous. Who did not know Kemba had a knee situation? This sounds like the article came out of their backside at full force and when they looked into the bowl, there was nothing of substance there.