Danny Ainge Praises Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas After Trade in Press Release

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was complementary of new piece Kyrie Irving and praised Isaiah Thomas following Tuesday's marquee trade.

The Celtics announced they traded for Irving, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers the combination of Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick. Among his comments in the announcement, Ainge said "Kyrie is one of the best scorers in the NBA. He has proven that on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals, the last three years."

Ainge also said of Thomas, "Isaiah embodied what it meant to be a Celtic. He captured fans' hearts not only with his spirit, but his personality."

Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media Network shared the press release, which included Ainge's comments in full:

Ainge also reflected on the trade at large, per Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press: "You never know when something might present itself. But something did present itself...You have to play a heavy price."

This trade was notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which were the two teams involved. Boston received a firsthand look at Irving's scoring abilities Ainge discussed when the point guard averaged 25.8 points per game during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Irving then went on to pour in 29.4 points per game in Cleveland's NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors after scoring 27.1 points a night and hitting the series-winning shot against Golden State in the 2016 Finals.

Ainge also mentioned Thomas' popularity with Celtics' fans, which was apparent when the NBA announced his jersey was the seventh-highest seller in the league from April through June.

Irving was fifth on the list, which means each respective fanbase will need to adjust to the loss of a popular player following this trade. However, Cavaliers fans may see Irving in a different light after Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported he asked for a trade earlier this offseason because he no longer wanted to play in LeBron James' shadow.

Ainge seemed pleased to add Irving in the aftermath of the deal, but the headline-making trade will ultimately be judged by which team succeeds on the court—especially if they meet again in another Eastern Conference Finals.

Cleveland now has Thomas and Crowder alongside James and Kevin Love, while Boston will look different with Irving playing alongside new signee Gordon Hayward.