Celtics Owner Bluntly Lays Out Timeline Of Brad Stevens’ Promotion

Most knew changes likely were coming for the Boston Celtics following their frustrating 2020-21 season.

But one thing is clear: Brad Stevens wasn’t going anywhere.

After eight seasons as Boston’s head coach, Stevens replaced Danny Ainge as Celtics president of basketball operations despite having no prior front office experience. When pressed on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” about Stevens’ shift to executive, C’s co-owner Wyc Grousbeck — clearly irritated — explained how the transition panned out.

“…Here’s the process: Danny said he’s stepping down,” Grousbeck said. “We put a list of paper together. I added Brad’s name to the list and very soon before I interviewed anybody for the president job — not a soul, not a syllable, not a text to anybody — we hired Brad. So that’s the end of that process.”

In a follow-up, Grousbeck was asked if Stevens would still be the Celtics’ head coach had he not pivoted to president.

“Who knows? Probably,” Grousbeck said. “If he wanted to be, he would be. That’s for sure. He wasn’t going to be let go. I told you that in February and I’m telling you that in June. That was absolutely correct. He would still be the coach if he wanted to be the coach. He preferred to be the president.”

Grousbeck also admitted he did not consult any Celtics players about the possibility of Stevens returning as coach.

It’s unknown how Boston’s players feel about Stevens calling the shots. But the franchise’s longest-tenured players reportedly were on board with the hiring of new head coach Ime Udoka.