The Boston Celtics had a pretty bad week.

They officially missed out on Anthony Davis seven days ago. Then, earlier this week, they found out Al Horford was suddenly going to sign with someone else.

Danny Ainge was forced to pivot from trying to find a star and build a champion to trading away a veteran in order to maximize cap space. All the while, the Klutch Sports strategy to smear Boston and steer Anthony Davis to the Lakers worked on both fronts.

The perception of Boston as a place where no one wants to play has come flying back. With Davis’ camp blaring it from the rooftops, Kyrie Irving on his way out, and Horford’s sudden departure, it certainly feels like there’s an exodus of sorts. Ainge even addressed it, unprompted, as part of an answer Thursday night to his approach for this off-season.

“Maybe the players and the names on the jersey change, but the approach is the same,” he said. “We have a very attractive franchise to play for, and there’s a lot of people who would be dying to come play here.”

Paul Pierce, who was in Boston promoting his new line of CBD products, says the perception of Boston is not the reality.

“I don’t think a lot of this stuff has to do with the city,” Pierce told MassLive. “I think it has a lot to do with what direction you’re going to, the point of your career you’re at as a player. So I don’t really buy into those things because every player that I know that’s played for the Boston Celtics, 99 percent of them say ‘I didn’t know Boston was like this, this is one of the best franchises’ and they really liked playing for the city of Boston.”

The Celtics have a history of bringing in players who, as Pierce said, are ultimately pleasantly surprised. Pierce says the expectations are based on old perceptions.

“I think it more has to do with the city, or the weather, or Boston has always been known as a racist city, but people come and it’s not like that anymore,” Pierce said. “That’s just what it is. It’s been known for that. Once they get here and understand what it’s all about, they change their whole opinion.”

It’s hard to say what Davis would have done had Ainge called the Klutch bluff and traded for him anyway. If Davis was getting bad intel about the Celtics and the city, it wasn’t coming from fellow Klutch client Marcus Morris.

“Obviously I love being here in Boston," he said after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs. "I’ve enjoyed it a lot and hopefully I stay here. It’s a great organization, nothing but great for me being able to play on that stage. I’ve enjoyed my time.”

Kyrie Irving may have ultimately gotten sick of Boston, but others, even Horford, have enjoyed their time in the city. Business, though, can change things quickly in professional sports.

Horford’s may have a monster four-year offer waiting for him in Dallas, and Pierce says it’s the kind of offer Horford just can’t pass up.

“A lot of these guys when they get in their late 20’s or early 30’s and they know there’s light at the end of the tunnel, they try to maximize their dollars,” Pierce said. “So if there’s an opportunity for Al Horford to get more money, I’m sure that’s something you have to look into.”

The sudden change in landscape in both Boston and the NBA changed the dynamic for Horford. Pierce believes things would be different if Ainge’s original plan to bring stars into town panned out.

“It might have been different if they won a championship with him here, but they didn’t win a championship and now he’s at the point where this is his last big contract,” he said. “You gotta understand the player is always going to do what’s best for them and their family.”