Wyc Grousbeck on making Kyrie Irving trade: We weren't where we wanted to be

ALLSTON — Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck made an appearance Wednesday morning at the topping off at the Red Auerbach Center, the Celtics' new practice facility in Allston, which is set to be finished next summer. With the crowd at the ceremony buzzing about the Celtics' acquisition of Kyrie Irving on Tuesday evening, Grousbeck addressed a small group to talk about the acquisition. BostonSportsJournal.com was live on the scene to take part in the Q-and-A.

Q: Looked like Mayor Walsh had a big smile on his face this morning. What kind of talent does Irving bring to the table?

Wyc Grousbeck: Kyrie is a four-time All-Star and a All-Star starter. He's a transcendent talent. We are excited to put him together with Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and Marcus Smart. We're excited. We want this team to go for Banner 18 and we need to get the best possible players to do that. That's what we are trying to do.

Q: How hard was it for Danny to pull the trigger on this?

Grousbeck: Well, I helped. We talked a lot about it. We approved the trade because we felt it was in the best interest of the Celtics. We're giving up a lot and we're going to miss those guys.

Q: Talk to Isaiah yet?

Grousbeck: I haven't yet. Danny did, but I've had a long relationship with Isaiah, a good relationship with Isaiah. I expect to talk to him before too long.

Q: Expect to be in a position to beat the Cavs right now?

Grousbeck: I'm not going to make any predictions about that. I think we're in a good position to represent Celtic pride really well. We have a really strong team, an up and coming team, a young team, with more youth on the way. We want to be good for a sustained period of time and it starts now.

Q: What does it say about Danny that you win 53 games last year and make it to the Conference Finals and now the top 4 guys in minutes played are gone?

Grousbeck: We got bounced pretty hard last year in the playoffs and then those guys got bounced hard after that. We didn't feel like we were at the top. We didn't feel like we were where we wanted to be. This is what you do when you run the team, you do what you have to do to try to get better.

Q: Was the deal a no-brainer for you guys, even with the high price tag in terms of assets?

Grousbeck: I'm not going to say it was ever a no brainer to trade someone like Isaiah Thomas or Jae Crowder. It was not a no-brainer. We thought hard about it. We went back and forth with Cleveland about it. We said no and walked away. They said no and walked away. We finally got to a deal both sides could do. Definitely not a no-brainer. There was a lot of thought put into it. We're losing some great guys, on and off the court.

Q: Did the impending contract that Isaiah Thomas will be looking for factor into the trade?

Grousbeck: We don't really talk about hypothetical contract discussion.

Q: What will opening night be like?

Grousbeck: I anticipate both teams are trying to beat the other one into a pulp and win by 40 points. I don't know what to think. It's all very new. I don't know what to think. It's amazing we're playing them in the first game.