Celtics legend Danny Ainge helps the Lakers again

Danny Ainge will forever be a Celtics legend, but he may have soured fans in Beantown with his recent transactions.

In 2023, Ainge, the CEO of basketball operations for the Jazz, helped the Lakers offload Russell Westbrook's contract. The trade was so vital that it helped the Purple and Gold make a run to the conference finals.

Two years later, Ainge has done it again, this time setting up the Lakers for not a momentary playoff run but for a decade. When the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Mavericks, the Jazz helped facilitate the transaction by acquiring Jalen Hood-Schifino's contract. However, Ainge was unaware that the Lakers and Mavericks were discussing a deal centered on Doncic and Anthony Davis. 

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon, Ainge didn't know the magnitude of the trade "until about an hour before it was completed" and could not renege on the deal at the last minute.

"[Ainge] had about only 30 minutes notice, sources said, that Los Angeles was about to acquire Doncic to be the new face of its franchise. But by then it was too late to do much about it. NBA history was about to be altered."

Given his illustrious history as a Celtic, it's ironic that Ainge has helped the Lakers secure a generational talent in Doncic, albeit inadvertently. Many believe Doncic will help Los Angeles capture a championship within the next few years, much to the dismay of Celtics fans. The Celtics own an 18-17 edge over the Lakers for most NBA titles. 

Ainge is the architect of the current iteration of the Celtics, drafting Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in 2016 and 2017, respectively. 

While he'll always be revered in Boston, Ainge better tread carefully if he continues helping the enemy.