The Boston Celtics were eliminated from the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Tuesday evening, losing Game 5 to the Brooklyn Nets. Given the talent disparity in the series, it was anything but a surprise that Boston fell short in the matchup but, in the hours following the loss, reporting emerged that will change the shape of the franchise for 2021-22 and beyond.
First, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday morning that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was “seriously considering his future with the franchise.”
Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge is seriously considering his future with the franchise and could make a decision to step down, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 2, 2021
Less than an hour later, an already enormous story took on an even larger spotlight when Wojnarowski noted that Ainge would, in fact, be stepping down and that it would be current Celtics head coach Brad Stevens leaving the bench to replace him in the front office.
Danny Ainge is expected to step down as President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN. Brad Stevens is expected to assume a more prominent front office role with the team. https://t.co/8eR4AHcGv3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 2, 2021
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Celtics players were informed on Tuesday on the potential for the shake-up.
Sources: Celtics players were informed last night of this potential move. https://t.co/X4mpdpqa71
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 2, 2021
Finally, Wojnarowski reported that Ainge was actually considering the move in consultation with ownership, with all parties settling on Stevens as the successor to lead the organization’s front office.
Ainge has been contemplating leaving the job for several months and had been talking about possible succession plans with ownership, sources tell ESPN. Stevens turns out to be the franchise’s choice. Ainge also moved from head coaching in the NBA to the front office with Phoenix.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 2, 2021
The fallout from these moves is wide-ranging, not only with Ainge leaving the team he has captained for nearly two decades but also with Stevens’ future and decisions with regard to the head coaching position. Stevens famously arrived in Boston from the college ranks, where he led Butler to great success. With that said, he does not have a front office background in NBA circles and, with his decision to vacate the bench, Boston now has a high-profile opening to replace him. As Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday, Stevens is “worn down” by coaching in recent years and is eager to replace Ainge in the organization.
Stevens has been described as worn down with coaching since The Bubble, and welcomed the chance to make the transition to the front office, sources tell ESPN. Stevens will help lead the search for his successor as head coach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 2, 2021
This story is certainly in its infant stages, with the Celtics boasting an intriguing roster led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown that would undoubtedly be appealing to many coaching candidates. Still, Boston’s future will look much different than its recent past, and additional light could be shed on the changes with Ainge and Stevens scheduled to conduct interviews on Wednesday.