Last summer, Danny Ainge was more robber baron than NBA GM. After fleecing Philly for what would end up being a Markelle Futz-Jayson Tatum swap (plus what looks like a promising first round pick from the Kings), he cashed in some chips and dealt for Kyrie Irving. They weren’t just savvy moves by arguably the best front office in the last five years, but they were transactions that simultaneously crippled two intra-conference rivals.
Could a trade between Boston, Philadelphia, and Cleveland happen again? You never know with Ainge, but it seems unlikely given the landscape of the East.