When the Celtics saw significant front office turnover back in June 2021, it took the NBA world by storm. Then-president of basketball operations Danny Ainge stepped down after 18 seasons leading the organization. In came then-coach Brad Stevens to become the lead guy and president.
Turns out, there was a lot of luck in terms of landing Stevens, per Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck. In an appearance on the Club 520 Podcast, hosted by former C’s guard Jeff Teague, Grousbeck broke down how he landed on Stevens to be the next decision-maker for the franchise.
“Danny came to me and said, ‘Look, I’m going to move on for medical (reasons) and just because of my stage of life,’” Grousbeck said. “I’m like, ‘Danny, I don’t want you to leave, but alright.’ So I knew I had to get somebody. I called in Brad. Between the lead owner and the coach is the general manager, and we gotta all three be on the same page. We gotta be able to say, yes, no, yes, no, but agree at the end and not have a fight about it and just agree. Respect. We need a partner.”
Grousbeck said they had a list of six possible candidates to sift through, but he turned down two of them and didn’t know the other four.
“Then I looked at him and said, ‘Brad, it might be you because you’ve been here eight years, nine years and you are a partner,” Grousbeck continued. “And you know putting together teams at Butler and you worked with Danny here. This could actually be you. He did not ask for the job. I said, ‘I think it’s you.’ He said, ‘I gotta think about it.’ I said, ‘Tell me tomorrow morning.’ Came in the next morning and said I accept. That was a lucky guess.”
Hiring Stevens as the president of basketball operations worked out excellently for the Celtics. The longtime coach quickly put his fingerprints on the team that offseason in 2021, making moves like bringing back Al Horford in a trade with the Thunder. Then the Celtics brought in Derrick White from the Spurs during the 2021-22 season.
There’s been a lot of success in Boston since Stevens took over. Now, Ainge gets his credit considering he helped build the core by drafting Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But Stevens’ further moves took the Celtics to the mountaintop in the form of the 2024 NBA championship. Stevens was also named the 2024 NBA Executive of the Year as the Celtics boasted a stellar roster over the past two seasons.
Now, the Celtics are currently in a transition phase following their two-year run with a title-contending roster. Stevens has already made some massive deals this summer to slim payroll. The Celtics are looking at a retooling year going forward, so it remains to be seen how Stevens and the front office take on this new challenge.
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