Shams: Danny Ainge Was Thinking About Leaving Celtics Role for Last 3 Years

Danny Ainge's resignation from his role as the Boston Celtics' president of basketball operations apparently wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The Celtics announced Wednesday that Ainge is retiring, with head coach Brad Stevens succeeding him in the front office. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on the Pat McAfee Show that Ainge had been weighing his future for three years:

Ainge's reservations years ago may have reflected that the Celtics were embarking on an unpredictable time.

Three years ago was when Boston signed Gordon Hayward and acquired Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team was also trying to balance contending for a championship with the development of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

The Celtics seemed to have a bright future, but what transpired showed how fragile long-term plans can be. Majority governor Wyc Grousbeck said in February how Irving signing with the Brooklyn Nets "touched off a lot of stuff."

Not only did the Celtics become weaker that offseason, but they also saw the Nets turn into a title favorite once they had Irving and Kevin Durant together. Brooklyn solidified that status by later adding James Harden.

The Nets' first-round series victory over Boston showed how much the Celtics had fallen in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, though the absence of Brown due to injury surely didn't help Boston.

Stevens isn't suddenly facing a rebuild. Brown is signed through 2023-24, and Tatum's five-year, $163 million extension has yet to go into effect. Together, they can continue to be the foundation of a winning team.

But Stevens is inheriting a tough situation because the roster is flawed and the organization no longer has the bounty of trade assets that Ainge sat on for years.

There aren't any immediate solutions, so it ultimately isn't that surprising that Ainge, 62, decided he wasn't up for the challenge.