“We were never close to trading Paul in that time” - Former Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge denies NBA trade rumors linking Paul Pierce to Dallas Mavericks

​

Former Boston Celtics player Paul Pierce will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted earlier this week that former Boston Celtics talisman and 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Paul Pierce was close to joining his team in 2008.

It would have seen Pierce join the likes of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd in forming a big three in the NBA had the deal gone through. Pierce was still in his prime at the time and would have definitely hugely helped the Mavs.

It gets better. We had a deal done. We had a 3 way trade done. All teams agreed to their part of the deal. When we get on the trade call, the 3rd team killed the deal because they didnt know that a first was going to the Celtics. They chose not to do the deal at all.

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 7, 2021

Cuban claimed the deal did not go through because the third team involved in the deal pulled out last minute. They were unaware of a first-round pick going to the Boston Celtics and weren't okay with that proposition. That eventually killed the trade move altogether, and Pierce ended up staying with the C's.

Former Boston Celtics president denies NBA trade rumors circling Paul Pierce's move to the Dallas Mavericks in 2008

Former Boston Celtics' president Danny Ainge pictured during a press conference.

Former Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge has denied the NBA trade rumors linking Paul Pierce to the Dallas Mavericks in a recent interview with MassLive. He claimed the C's were never close to trading Pierce in 2008 when they had just won the title and were looking to win more. Here's what he said:

​

"We were never close to trading Paul in that time. That never happened. I don’t have any recollection of that. I don’t believe it ever happened. I know that we never have a trade call involving Paul Pierce. I know that nothing ever got close. There was some conversation in there but we were never close to trading Paul at that time. We were trying to win championships then. Paul was the captain of our team. I don’t really know what Marc is referring to but that didn’t happen."

Ainge also mentioned he opted to work in the Boston Celtics' front office in 2003 because Paul Pierce was leading the charge for the team at the time. Ainge made sure he surrounded Pierce with the best team possible to help him and the franchise land an NBA championship.

The 2021 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class will be enshrined today with Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh and Chris Webber headlining the class.

In total, 16 individuals will go into the Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/fumKi2xOyL

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 11, 2021

They did just that in 2008 after acquiring the likes of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The Boston Celtics beat Kobe Bryant's LA Lakers 4-2 in the Finals. Paul Pierce was voted as the Finals MVP that season as he averaged 19.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest. It was the only championship win of Paul Pierce's career.

​

​