The NBA offseason, typically reserved for ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski to drop breaking news at lightning-fast speed through a "Woj Bomb," took an unforeseen turn with the longtime scoop master announcing his retirement on Wednesday.
Wojnarowski was ahead of everyone when it came to draft prospects, trades, free agency signings and any other news tied to each and every NBA team -- including the Boston Celtics. Although Wojnarowski, previously of Yahoo Sports, didn't join ESPN until 2017, the 55-year-old Connecticut native spent years building a name for himself, long before accepting employment from the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Here are the most notable Celtics-centered "Woj Bombs" dropped by Wojnarowski:
Celtics ship Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce to Brooklyn Nets (2013)
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The miraculous Danny Ainge front office formation of the 2008 "Big Three" Celtics reached its official end after Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett -- without Ray Allen -- weren't able to push a No. 7 seed, past-prime Boston team beyond the first round. The Celtics were sent packing in six games by Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks, forcing Ainge to accept his masterpiece couldn't go on any further.
Boston turned Pierce and Garnett, plus Jason Terry and D.J. White into Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans, three unprotected first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018, plus the right to swap any first-round selections, in what became Ainge's biggest fleece. The Brooklyn Nets failed to squeeze any final championship juice out of Pierce and Garnett while watching their organization's collapse, in real-time, lead Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum straight to Boston -- marking the ending and beginning of the last two Celtics championship eras.
Celtics pick Brad Stevens as Doc Rivers replacement (2013)
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Doc Rivers, too, was done with the Celtics once the team endured its first-round postseason elimination in 2013, electing to punt on Boston's frigid winters and upcoming rebuild for the West Coast sunshine of the "Lob City" Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics didn't have much left to build off of besides guard Rajon Rondo, leaving Ainge and Boston's front office on a quest to find the franchise's next head coach: Brad Stevens, the then-six-year head coach of the Butler Bulldogs.
Stevens spent nine seasons as Boston's head coach before taking over for Ainge as the organization's president of basketball operations in 2021. It wasn't the first time the Celtics put their faith in a collegiate head coach, but needless to say, Stevens brings back zero aching memories of the nightmarish Rick Pitino stint.
Celtics acquire Isaiah Thomas from Phoenix Suns (2015)
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Boston turned its disastrous 25-57 season in 2013 into Marcus Smart, who the franchise selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. However, the hard-nosed, defensive-first guard wasn't the start and finish of notable additions the Celtics made to their roster as Ainge pulled off another fleece, this time victimizing the Phoenix Suns.
The Celtics traded Marcus Thornton and a 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers first-round pick for Isaiah Thomas, the last pick of the 2011 draft. At first, it was seen as a fun-sized win for Boston in adding the fiery undersized guard, but across three seasons in a Celtics uniform, Thomas became a two-time All-Star and scored the second-most points (45) in a playoff game in franchise history -- against the Washington Wizards. Thomas went from an off-the-bench feel-good story into the franchise star in Boston and fan-favorite by turning underdog core's into easy-to-root-for playoff contenders.
Celtics trade No. 1 pick of NBA Draft to 76ers (2017)
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The 2013 Garnett and Pierce trade quickly proved itself to be the gift that could never stop giving once Ainge, Stevens and company returned to the draft board in 2018. Ainge couldn't help himself in the weeks leading up to draft night, misleading the league with false intentions of Boston targeting guard Markelle Fultz from Washington -- a photo of Ainge and Fultz at a restaurant in Boston leaked. Of course, Ainge was a man with a plan and used the No. 1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 pick and a future first-round selection, which helped the Celtics select Duke product Jayson Tatum.
Trader Danny was known as the pick hoarder of the NBA while head honcho of the Celtics, but tricking Philadelphia further cemented his legacy as an elite front-office leader. It also produced the NBA's highest-paid player ($315 million) ending up in Boston just seven years before winning a championship.
Celtics swap Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving in blockbuster (2018)
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The fallout of Kyrie Irving's relationship with LeBron James left the Celtics, Ainge particularly, rubbing his hands and eagerly awaiting the perfect opportunity to call Cleveland's front office. Boston had Al Horford, Tatum, Brown and Gordon Hayward, but Ainge and Stevens weren't content with settling, especially when the King of the East Cavaliers were willing to part ways with a Hall of Fame talent.
Boston packaged Thomas, the heart and soul of the Celtics at the time, along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and two future draft picks -- one which became Collin Sexton -- in exchange for Irving. The Irving fit wasn't all it cracked up to be, even with the ball-handling magician committing to re-sign long-term in Boston ahead of its 2018-19 season. Irving left on sour terms and quickly became an all-time Celtics villain.
MORE CELTICS
Celtics suspend head coach Ime Udoka before parting ways (2022)
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Ime Udoka was just a year removed from taking over as head coach of the Celtics, transforming Boston's defensive identity and flipping a sixth-seeded position in February to a second-seeded finish at the end of the season. The Celtics reached the NBA Finals and fell short to a 34-point, series MVP-seizing masterclass from Stephen Curry in a six-game battle with the Golden State Warriors.
Yet... roughly three months after the Celtics appeared in the Finals for the first time in over a decade, Udoka became the face of a still-foggy scandal involving an inappropriate relationship with a team staffer. Boston suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season, promoted then-bench coach Joe Mazzulla and turned the page quickly to maintain the organization's focus on winning a title.
Celtics trade Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis in three-team blockbuster (2023)
Boston suffered an inexcusable Game 7 loss to the postseason slip-in Miami Heat, coming up short of a Finals appearance against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets. Stevens and majority owner Wyc Grousbeck had enough and vowed to make whatever efforts were deemed necessary to ensure the Celtics wouldn't crumble yet again. This effort began with the surprise trade of homegrown fan-favorite Smart -- plus Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala and the 35th overall pick in 2023 -- in a three-team trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards, giving Boston Kristaps Porzingis.
The 7-foot-2 veteran quickly meshed with the Celtics, buying into Mazzulla's selfless offensive identity and finishing Year 1 in Boston averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and two assists on 51.6% shooting from the field. Porzingis was limited to 57 games in the regular season and missed most of the playoffs, however, the upgrade of having a legitimate starting center with the ability to score from anywhere, proved itself a worthy investment.
Celtics announce franchise up for sale after Banner 18 (2024)
The final "Woj Bomb" was no miniature boom as less than a month after capturing the long-awaited Banner 18 title, Boston announced its intentions to sell the majority ownership stake, signaling the end of Grousbeck's time with the Celtics. Over two decades after making the initial $360 million purchase alongside co-owner Steve Pagliuca, Grousbeck decided it was time to pull out, but ensured the fans -- through a $600-plus million offseason spending spree -- that the championship core of Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, Holiday and White would remain intact.
Featured image via Anne-Marie Caruso / Imagn Images
