On this day in Boston Celtics history, onetime Team President and shooting guard Danny Ainge was hired by the franchise in 2003 in his present capacity. Ainge replaced outgoing President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace, who had been with the team in that role since replacing Rick Pitino in 2001.
Ainge had a successful tenure as President of Basketball Operations, winning a title in the 2007-08 NBA season, and making an NBA Finals appearance two seasons later in 2010. His ability to seemingly always get the best of a deal has earned him the moniker “Trader Danny”, ranging from acquiring the contracts of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to forge the team that won Banner 17.
Perhaps his best-known trade was moving Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013 which netted what would prove to be one of the most uneven returns in league history.