When it came down to it, it looks like Danny Ainge and the Celtics just wanted too much. Somehow, through this whole back and forth with the Clippers in trade talks to send Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to the Clippers for a package of DeAndre Jordan and other assets, the Celtics were behaving like they had all the leverage in the negotiations. That appears to have been Boston’s undoing.
According to multiple sources, Ainge’s insistence on not one but two first round draft picks along with Jordan was the deal killer.
Will Boston regret not giving in? It seems like it would have been a good life raft for them. They need to move KG in return for value (easily done in a young uber athlete in Jordan) and it’s pretty clear that bringing Doc back to coach creates a sticky PR situation. Getting a first round pick for a coach who doesn’t want to be there seems like a good deal.
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