Brad Stevens is entering his second season as the Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations, and so far, he’s been doing an excellent job.
However, considering Steven’s successes as the Celtics’ head coach before taking a front-office role, the notion of him eventually returning to the sidelines always seems to be lingering in the back of people’s minds.
NEW at Heavy Sports…
Brad Stevens is too smart to close any doors, but he’s clearly committed to running the @Celtics.
He discusses what he’s learned in his first year as president of basketball ops — and even reveals the brief “coaching job” he took.
When speaking to Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett, Stevens was coy on what the future may hold, and if he still harbors a desire to eventually return to the coaching ranks – where he would be highly sought after from both NBA and Collegiate teams.
“My motivation is for the Celtics to be good. So I always feel like that’s a huge motivation for us. This organization’s been great to us. I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed both roles I’ve been in. I love the people I’ve worked with in both roles, and my family loves it, so, yeah, we’re really happy. I’m not going to try to predict the future. I have no idea. No idea. I don’t know if I’d ever coach again. We’ll see,” Stevens’ told Bulpett.
Since taking the reigns in Boston’s front office, Stevens has overseen a re-tooling of Boston’s roster, along with the hiring of his replacement in Ime Udoka. Thus far, every deal Stevens has made, has worked out for the better, and helped Boston reach the NBA Finals, where they ultimately fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Draymond Green Labels Stevens a ‘Genuis’
One of the hardest parts of leading a team is making decisions that might go against the grain. Last summer, Stevens made two of those decisions in quick succession, handing both Marcus Smart and Robert Williams contract extensions.
Both of those contracts quickly looked like masterstrokes, as Smart flourished as Boston’s starting point guard, and Robert Williams quickly established himself as one of the best defensive big men in the NBA. During an April 26 episode of The Draymond Green Show, the Warriors star heaped praise on Stevens, and the impact his early decisions had on Boston’s season – sounding out the acquisition of Al Horford as another defining factor.
“Two of the most questionable moves he could make at the start of his tenure. One was everyone thought Marcus Smart shouldn’t be receiving a contract extension, that you probably need to trade him, this hasn’t worked. Brad Stevens believed in Marcus Smart, gave him the max contract extension, and cleared the way for him to be the point guard for the team.
He also brought back Al Horford, who had been trending down being in OKC and not playing on a contender. So, he brought back Al Horford in a very guard-dominant NBA, he brought back another big and everybody is looking like ‘why is he doing that?’ And those two moves have proved to be so genius for the Boston Celtics,” Green said during the April 26 episode.
Green has since embarked on a war of words with multiple Celtics players, most notably Jaylen Brown, following the pair’s heated battles throughout the NBA Finals.
Indiana University Reported Pursued Stevens in 2021
Shortly before Stevens made the move to Boston’s front office, his Celtics team was struggling, and the narrative within media circles was that he had lost the dressing room after eight years in charge.
During that time, rumors began to surface about Stevens being approached to take over the Indiana University Hoosier’s basketball program, with the division one team reportedly offering a $70 million dollar contract offer for his services – although Stevens refuted those reports as inaccurate.
“I was told, that Indiana was prepared to offer him seven years at $70 million. But he did not entertain it. Leaving the Boston Celtics for a college job, it just didn’t make sense. He’s in that high six, low seven million dollar range anyway,” Wojnarowski reported during an episode of NBA Countdown that aired on April 26, 2021.
Regardless of whether the Hoosiers did, or didn’t make the wild contract offer, the entire saga does go to show that Stevens would have his pick of coaching jobs should he ever decide to step down from a front-office role. But, given how seamlessly he’s adapted to life as a GM, it’s unlikely he makes that move any time soon.
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Celtics Brad Stevens Drops Truth Bomb About Return to Coaching