Report: Danny Ainge ‘seriously considering’ future with C’s originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Might one of the Boston Celtics‘ changes this offseason involve Danny Ainge himself?
The Celtics president of basketball operations is “seriously considering” his future with the team and “could make a decision to step down,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who said Tuesday on Boston Sports Tonight that Ainge isn’t guaranteed to return next season, reported that Ainge likely wouldn’t retire if he stepped down and may look for opportunities elsewhere.
When asked in early March about rumors that he may consider retirement, Ainge admitted it was something he had thought about.
“When I came back to take this job in Boston, I wasn’t sure if I’d be here three or five years,” Ainge said at the time. “In this world, you just never know. I think I’ll know when it’s time (to retire), but not yet. It’s something I’ve contemplated, but I have no idea when that’s going to happen.”
Boston’s season ended Tuesday night in a Game 5 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets in their first-round playoff series. The 4-1 series loss capped a frustrating 2020-21 campaign in which the C’s finished seventh in the Eastern Conference at 36-36 after entering the season with championship aspirations.
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Ainge has been the Celtics’ general manager/president of basketball operations since 2003 and is the third-longest tenured GM in the NBA behind San Antonio Spurs head coach/president Gregg Popovich and Miami Heat president Pat Riley.
Ainge said during that March interview that the C’s hadn’t discussed any succession plan if he stepped down, and that replacing him would be up to Governor Wyc Grousbeck and team leadership.