Following their Game 5 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics have announced that current head coach Brad Stevens will be replacing Danny Ainge as the team’s President of Basketball Operations.
Stevens joined the Celtics eight years ago after a successful stint as the head coach at Butler University. Throughout his tenure as the coach of the Celtics, Stevens has widely been considered one of the premier coaches in the league.
However, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Steven’s was “worn down” from coaching—especially following last season’s Bubble in Orlando—and “welcomed” a change of scenery into the front office.
In a statement released by the Celtics, Stevens appeared eager to take the reigns of the franchise.
“I’m grateful to ownership and to Danny for trusting me with this opportunity,” he said. “I’m excited to tackle this new role, starting with a wide-ranging and comprehensive search for our next head coach. I love the Celtics and know the great honor and responsibility that comes with this job. I will give it everything I have to help us be in position to consistently compete for championships.”
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Celtics players were informed last night about Steven’s promotion. He also noted that current Los Angeles Lakers assistant and former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd and former Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce are the two front runners for the Celtics now-vacant head-coaching gig.
Celtics fans will now have to eagerly await the news of who the team’s new head coach will be.
