In the midst of the Eastern Conference Finals, a reported quote from a Cavaliers player sums up the lingering thought about the Kyrie Irving trade to the Celtics last summer.
Relayed in a column from The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, an unnamed Cavalier reportedly told Lloyd, “Danny Ainge is a fu—– thief.” The remark came following “one of many particularly ugly winter losses,” per Lloyd.
The context of the quote is clear: Cleveland never replaced Irving, the 26-year-old shooting guard traded to Boston in August. Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, has certainly appeared to have come out on the winning side of the deal.