11 Players the Celtics never should have gambled on

1. Kyrie Irving

Irving was a four-time All-Star and one of the best point guards in the NBA before arriving in Boston. He was eager to get out of LeBron’s shadow in Cleveland, despite winning a championship and making the finals three straight years. Irving wanted to prove he could be the number one option on a title team, and the Celtics were eager to upgrade from Isaiah Thomas.

Boston had immediate title aspirations after signing Gordon Hayward, drafting Jayson Tatum, and trading for Kyrie. Hayward suffered a career-altering leg injury in the season opener, and Irving went out with a season-ending injury in March. Boston still reached the conference finals and took Cleveland to seven games without their two stars.

Before his second season in Beantown, Kyrie promised he would re-sign with the team in free agency, but things quickly soured. They lost to the Bucks in the second round of the playoffs, and Irving signed with the Nets. Things went from bad to worse after Kyrie stomped on the Celtics midcourt logo. Fans can read a full breakdown of the events here.

The eight-time All-Star is an all-time great, but things never went as planned in Boston. They thought he was the star that would bring banner number 18, but instead, Irving became hated by Celtics fans.

The Boston Celtics regretted trading for Kyrie Irving, and the franchise must limit their mistakes if they want to win another championship. Stay tuned to see how their latest round of moves shakes out.