Looking back at Boston's trade for Brandon Bass
Danny Ainge has made a ton of trades since the Boston Celtics first hired him as their President of Basketball Operations. Some failed, but most worked out. A few immediately led to a championship.
From WEEI's Ben Rohrbach, here's a look at an overlooked, savvy deal Ainge made back in 2011, when he shipped Glen "Big Baby" Davis to the Orlando Magic for Brandon Bass:
"Here’s what the Magic got for their four-year, $25.7 million deal with Davis: Two and a half seasons of the NBA’s heaviest player missing 56 percent of his shots and collecting more turnovers (198) than assists (187). Also, fart jokes. Meanwhile, the Celtics gave Bass a three-year extension following his contributions to the 2012 run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, including a 27-point effort in a pivotal Game 5 win over the 76ers in the conference semis, paying him $22.6 million over his four seasons in Boston. Again, Bass played 334 of a possible 341 games in Boston; meanwhile, Davis played 145 of a possible 317 games in Orlando. Rock vs. rocking chair, or something like that."
On its face, this trade was a steal the day it went down. At the time, Dwight Howard had Orlando's hands tied behind its back. He wanted Davis as a teammate, so in return the Celtics requested a superior player on a better contract.
Bass was a tremendous power forward on both ends for Boston. His mid-range jumper was butter, and he proved capable of defending guys like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James in big spots during the playoffs.
It remains a mystery why no contending teams wanted him at last year's trade deadline. And Bass' new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers is nearly half of what he made during his final year in Boston.
He just turned 30, but that jump shot and professional attitude aren't going anywhere.
(h/t: WEEI)
