Brad Stevens made it look easy.
The Boston Celtics president of basketball operations made two separate blockbuster trades involving stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and in turn helped the organization dip below the second apron of the luxury tax. Shedding salary was thought to be Boston’s main objective this offseason.
Nobody is going to argue the Celtics are a better team without Holiday (Portland Trail Blazers) and Porzingis (Atlanta Hawks). However, the fact Stevens accomplished the feat while acquiring two players and three second-round picks seems to be viewed as a win to those around the league.
NBA insider Kevin O’Connor was among those to praise Stevens and the Celtics for such work. You can find many others sharing similar sentiments here.
“Brad Stevens got under the second apron in a shockingly clean fashion,” O’Connor wrote on X. “This could’ve been a lot more complicated than it was. Nice job by the Celtics front office.”
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Brad Stevens got under the second apron in a shockingly clean fashion. This could’ve been a lot more complicated than it was. Nice job by the Celtics front office.— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 24, 2025
The Celtics acquired Anfernee Simons in the Holiday trade and Georges Niang in the Porzingis deal. Additionally, the Green added three second-round picks in future drafts.
The also saved $180 million in tax penalties, according to ESPN NBA analyst Bobby Marks.