Brad Stevens: President of Basketball Ops
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
I hear John Wall is available. Sorta.
Looking at the list, players who might take the minimum to come here and stand a chance to add value (DARKO in parens) include:
- Nic Batum (-0.7)
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- Alec Burks (-1.5)
- Nic Claxton (+0.0)
- Malik Beasley (+0.4, just finished a 1-year prove-it min contract)
- Jae Crowder (-1.4, Cs experience)
- Markelle Fultz (-1.6)
- James Harden (he's a UFA? LOL)
- Aaron Holiday (-0.3, has been near min salary his whole 5-year career tho)
- Talen Horton-Tucker (-0.4)
- Derrick Jones Jr (-0.2)
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- Kelly Oubre (-1.0)
- Mason Plumlee (-0.6)
- Dario Saric (-0.9)
- Dennis Smith Jr (+0.7, has been on minimums but clearly outplayed them the last ~2 years)
- Daniel Theis (-2.3, just for the lolz)
- Delon Wright (+0.0)
Each of them might well get better offers from other teams, but probably not that much better than the minimum, and many have earned plenty of money in their careers. If we only had even a Taxpayer MLE to use, we could probably get the Obi Toppins of the list to return our calls, but alas.
We should probably talk about it in a 2024-25 Celtics thread, though, because it'll be a fun discussion starting in a couple of days, and Brad's thread is maybe the wrong spot.
(And sidenote, I had no idea James Harden was a UFA, that's going to be fun to watch - but wouldn't it be hilarious if he decided "fuck it, where can I go to just get me a ring"? He'd have to call the cops to get Sam Presti to stop standing outside his house holding a stereo.)
Why are Scal and Eddie talking to that kid from BC like he's Brad Stevens?
Stevens is on an unreal heater since taking the job. It’s not enough to just have the pieces you need to make sure they fit and be ready to deal any of them in the right move AND know when it’s right to include that extra 1st or pick swap or whatever to seal it.
GMs probably tread pretty lightly at this point when POBOBS calls but the good news is he gets to start the summer with most of the pieces in place already. He has been great with the splash moves and tinkering moves alike.
GMs probably tread pretty lightly at this point when POBOBS calls but the good news is he gets to start the summer with most of the pieces in place already. He has been great with the splash moves and tinkering moves alike.
Stevens was really able to take advantage of the tank-a-thon teams looking to shed veteran salaries or players that were going to be good outside the team's window (aka, DWhite). Glad he realized that this was the season to go all in, as new CBA rules will make it much more difficult for the Celtics to acquire veteran players going forward.
One thing that gets lost in the Prokhorov trade: it's one thing to rebuild via draft picks, it's another thing to do it via someone else's draft picks in a way that allows you to instill a winning culture while you rebuild. The franchise wouldn't be in the position it is today if Ainge had done his version of the Philly process, creating a culture of perverse incentives that reward losing. Instead, hiring Stevens as coach was a big step towards allowing the team to compete (in a slightly cute, non-threatening sense with IT4... but compete nonetheless) while they waited to for the Nets picks to fully mature as assets. Who knows if the bond between the Jays would be the same if their early experience together in the league involved sitting around on losing, selfish teams together?
Agreed, most deals felt "fair" at the time (except for the KP heist, but the Wiz were powerless)
Indiana is probably happy with Nesmith/Sheppard return.
PDX should be good with the Warriors pick (& should have moved TL/Brogdon when they had the chance last fall)
I guess Alec Burks would be nice with his ties to Tatum
I'm looking forward to more playing time for PP, extending Hauser, re-signing Kornet or Tillman, & developing Queta, Springer, Walsh
@m0ckduck did make a great post and I remember when posters were disappointed that the C’s made the playoffs in Brad’s early years as they wanted a better draft slot. Brad understood that winning promotes winning and this is the culmination of never, ever throwing in the towel.
Most probably know that right out of college Brad was a Medical Products Sales Rep for about 6 months and that he quit that and became an assistant coach. Before retirement I also was a Medical Product Sales Rep as was the current CEO of the company I worked for. Over the last dozen years my guy has worked his way up the ladder to running the largest private Medical Products company in the industry. I know him well and he is so, so sharp. I have ZERO doubt that had Brad stayed in the Medical Products industry that he’d now be a COO or CEO. Glad he moved to the sideline and then upstairs. It’s been a pleasure to follow his career!
I remember the stories about hiring Stevens, where in a key moment during negotiations he said "listen, I'm not going anywhere to do a version of The Process, and lose. Don't hire me if you want me to go out and lose. Ever." And Wyc told him, no, we want you to win as much as possible, losing is not our plan. Once Stevens was told that, he was more or less bought in to leaving Butler. And as you point out, Wyc couldn't have replied like that if we had needed to rebuild through our own draft picks - only because we were rebuilding through Brooklyn's picks was he able to go try to win every game.
As for putting the right culture around the Jays, Tatum himself said it best last night - Al Horford was the guy who taught him how to be a professional, how to train and prepare and have the discipline to succeed in this league, and is his favorite teammate of all time. Bringing him in, right at the same time as the Jays arrived, was as big of a culture-setter, arguably a more important one, in terms of stepping stones to last night's success. Even moreso than Brad coaching up a roster of flotsam and jetsam to reach the playoffs in his 2nd and 3rd years, before Brown was drafted. Seriously, go back and look at the 2013-14, -15 and -16 teams, we can laugh at 'em today, it's an absolute murderer's row of suck. How he coached those squads to 40 and 48 wins, I'll never know, but Al Horford saw something in that and said "I can make a difference here". Who's to know if he would have done that if we hadn't had that underdog, nobody-believes-in-us fire that was visible on the court in the early Smart / IT4 years.
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Stevens did not have to do what Ainge did - get a team from 25-57 whose best player was I don't even know who - Jeff Green? - and add two players who would go on to stardom as the building blocks. We don't know how Brad would handle a rebuild or how he would handle needing to use high draft picks. I think many teams, given the same/better draft capital Ainge had would have come away worse than Ainge did.
But, in taking over the team with Brown/Tatum and some salary cap issues, and understanding where to go from there, he was nearly perfect. I don't think Ainge would have made the series of moves Brad has made, or anything like them - some of which were getting out from under Ainge mistakes.
Ownership also desrves credit for opening up their wallets.
But Stevens is very deserving of his executive of the year award and I hope he is here for a long time to come.
But, in taking over the team with Brown/Tatum and some salary cap issues, and understanding where to go from there, he was nearly perfect. I don't think Ainge would have made the series of moves Brad has made, or anything like them - some of which were getting out from under Ainge mistakes.
Ownership also desrves credit for opening up their wallets.
But Stevens is very deserving of his executive of the year award and I hope he is here for a long time to come.
Great post.
PBS deserves a ton of credit for seeing past the big names and finding the guys that play winning basketball. He also gets credit for helping establish a winning culture here in the early days of JB and JTs careers, one of discipline, hard work, and unflinching support from management (but not without constructive criticism). Brilliant basketball mind, but a mind for people too, and a general good dude. Polite, kind, assassin (not unlike some of his players). Great to see this happen for him too.
Maybe also for stepping aside as coach when he thought something else was needed.
I think that was part changing it up and part burnout but credit to him for digging right back into a different demanding role.
The funny thing is that, he has almost nothing to do for next season. Yeah, I mean there's a few things he can do around the edges - but basically, let's be honest, it's just run it back. His work last Summer was absolutely epic. I mean, we're talking an unbelievable accomplishment to do what he did. This Summer - some #30 draft pick, a few resignings? That's like running the Boston marathon and then running in your town 5K Fun Run.
Al is old and KP makes Mr Glass look like Cal Ripken. It’s not a problem compared to the problems other teams have but we could use another 5 if they can get someone
It's probably right that neither could do what the other did, and we may never find out if Brad can do the rebuild thing. (Ainge also had some rotten luck with Hayward/Kyrie. That 2018 team could have really done some things if healthy.)
What I do know is that few, if any, GMs could have pulled off Brad's last summer and that's directly responsible for this title. He gets the flowers first, then we can spread them around to Ainge and the others.
Going with Kornet and Queta in the regular season should works fine with this team. But given the number of games and minutes KP and Al (assuming he is back) can be reliably expected to miss, I do think you want to go into the playoffs with an alternative opinion available.
So Bron/Bronny?
Joking, but who are these ring chasing vets that might be available? The lists I've seen are pretty uninspiring. Batum? Eric Gordon? Taj Gibson? Westbrook? I think the pickings are kind of slim.
I don't have a great candidate. Gordon Hayward? Some guy who gets traded and then bought out?
The pickings are slim, but that's where I'd be too. If Batum were available at the min/exception, he'd slide in as big depth nicely. Don't think that Crowder has anything left, but a similar wing (like maybe 3-4 years ago Crowder). It is definitely tinkering at the margins, but we seem to have ballhandler locked down. Wing depth never hurts. Big depth would be nice. Wouldn't be against Luke being back on the cheap either.
If they move 30, grab a developmental, springy big with long arms in the second who we can dream on being a credible "if wide open" threat from three.
The player development under Stevens has been phenomenal as well. Guys like Kornet, Hauser, Pritchard have all taken big leaps.
When I watched a lot of games at the end of the season where the guys on the end of the bench got a lot of PT, they all could play; defend, extend the floor, shoot etc. He knows what he's doing...looks for a certain type that has the tools and can be coached up.
When I watched a lot of games at the end of the season where the guys on the end of the bench got a lot of PT, they all could play; defend, extend the floor, shoot etc. He knows what he's doing...looks for a certain type that has the tools and can be coached up.
Bobi Klintman? My dream for #30 is Deron Holmes. He's not as springy or as long, maybe, but I think he fits this team well. Can shoot, hold his own on Defense, fits well in the 5-out scheme.
Yeah someone like those guys. Maybe the Smith kid too. None are gadget arms long, but springy and dreamable from three. I'm not qualified to weigh in on which is the right guy, but I'd be looking for Al replacement.
This could be a really interesting offseason conversation. Stevens talked from his initial press conference as President of Basketball Operations about building around Tatum and Brown, and he seemed to bring a coach’s eye to roster building as opposed to just asset collection. We’ve all read about his playful requests while coach to Ainge about acquiring Holiday and his completely serious gameplanning for the possibility that Jrue would be available last summer. His other successful acquisitions — Horford, White, Porzingis —have a similar flavor, and even ”lesser moves” (Tillman, Springer) seem like their understudies. What is Brad‘s “type” and who are potential targets out there who fit it?
Related to this.....Langford and Nesmith both turned into useful players (one more than the other, of course). He's not out there trying to fleece teams.
In Brad's 3 large deals, he has gravitated toward defense-first players with a history of consistent positive On-Off +/-
Horford
White
Holiday
KP was an absolute gift and had for next to nothing
I expect Brad's next year will be about extending Tatum, White, Hauser & getting one of Kornet or Tillman to return on the cheap.
I was about to post something similar. I honestly didnt know he was still in the NBA
I hope they can somehow bring back both. As has been noted above, KP and Horford need to be treated with kid gloves. Both of them would have fairly sizable roles in the regular season
Do you see Tillman as such a defense-first player with a history or consistent positive On-Off +/-? I don’t mean this to sound heretical, as everything is a matter of scale, but might he gain confidence in his three-point shot, see an increased role, and become more impactful as a midyear acquisition after a full offseason and training camp?
Tillman is an excellent defensive player but was had for nothing (2nds). You always grab guys like him & Springer for 2nds regardless of On-Off +/-. While keeping your late 1sts for rotational talent or to get off salary.
Overall, Brad clearly values defense-first players. He punted Kemba within minutes of getting the job, even after KW averaged 19.3 ppg.
I'd love to see Tillman & Luke both return. Agree with you that X and Luke could develop Corner3 skills.
BUT every salary dollar counts in multiples via the TAX. I suspect they will retain one of them and elevate Queta.
Then Brad will go find a young, fungible 5 for the two-way spot and keep him on the AAA shuttle.
Maybe Brad's greatest skill at Butler was finding undervalued talent that fit together as a unit?
Every big/small move he has made has been SPOT ON/excellent other than cutting Garrison Mathews 3 summers ago
(for @wade boggs chicken dinner
)
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As a Dayton grad, Holmes is my dream draft pick at #30, but pretty sure he got a promise from Denver at #28 and I would not be surprised if someone snags DaRon before then.
If BOS had kept Strus and Mathews, they would have run through the playoffs undefeated. POBOBS is losing sleep over that possibility.Tillman is an excellent defensive player but was had for nothing (2nds). You always grab guys like him & Springer for 2nds regardless of On-Off +/-. While keeping your late 1sts for rotational talent or to get off salary.
Overall, Brad clearly values defense-first players. He punted Kemba within minutes of getting the job, even after KW averaged 19.3 ppg.
I'd love to see Tillman & Luke both return. Agree with you that X and Luke could develop Corner3 skills.
BUT every salary dollar counts in multiples via the TAX. I suspect they will retain one of them and elevate Queta.
Then Brad will go find a young, fungible 5 for the two-way spot and keep him on the AAA shuttle.
Maybe Brad's greatest skill at Butler was finding undervalued talent that fit together as a unit?
Every big/small move he has made has been SPOT ON/excellent other than cutting Garrison Mathews 3 summers ago
(for @wade boggs chicken dinner
He's not. He was in the G-League last year (Salt Lake) and he's currently a free agent.
He hit almost 38% of his 3Ps in the G League and everywhere he has gone, coaches have raved about his defense so one would think he could play somewhere but alas, poor Romeo. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Worth pointing out that he moved Benton, who played pretty well for a bad PDX team, averaging 16.7/4.8/3.6 in 30 games (8 starts). He's only 24 and could be something down the line.
Seems unlikely he would have accomplished that in Boston though - as he clearly needed the opportunity that the trade opened up for him. Truly, the only real flaw to Brad’s impressive run as GM came when he selected Desmond Bane and traded him to Memphis for two future 2nd rounders, which -in retrospect- may have been one of the worst trades in Celtics history.
That said, Brad has otherwise been so close to perfect that it’s hard to hold that trade against him.