UPDATE (11 a.m. ET): It’s official: Brad Stevens is replacing Danny Ainge as Boston Celtics president of basketball operations,. the team announced Wednesday. Ainge will help with the transition during the offseason.
“Helping guide this organization has been the thrill of a lifetime, and having worked side-by-side with him since he’s been here, I know we couldn’t be in better hands than with Brad guiding the team going forward,” Ainge said in a statement. “I’m grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey.”
ORIGINAL STORY: The Boston Celtics are undergoing major changes.
Brad Stevens will replace Danny Ainge as the team’s president of basketball operations, according to multiple reports. The Celtics soon will begin their search for a new head coach, with Stevens leading the job search.
Ainge reportedly will announce his resignation Wednesday morning but does not plan on retiring.
Here’s a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
The news arrived less than 24 hours after the conclusion of one of the more disappointing seasons in recent Celtics memory. Boston limped to the seventh seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference before falling to Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
A report Wednesday indicated multiple Celtics players were unhappy with criticisms from the team’s upper management.
As for Stevens, the 44-year-old ends his run as Celtics head coach after eight seasons on the job. He led Boston to three Eastern Conference finals appearances. Stevens reportedly had been “worn down” by coaching ever since his team participated in the Walt Disney World bubble last fall.
Check back to NESN.com, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more details on this story are released in the coming hours and days.
