UPDATE (10:30 a.m. ET): Danny Ainge is stepping down as Celtics president of basketball operations and will be replaced by head coach Brad Stevens, according to multiple reports. Stevens, per those reports, will lead the search for a new head coach.
ORIGINAL STORY: The turnover on the Boston Celtics this offseason is not limited to just players, it seems.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is considering stepping down.
This season undoubtedly was one of the lower points for Ainge in his career as an executive. His Celtics were expected to compete, and instead, they disappointed at pretty much every turn before their season ultimately ended Tuesday with a Game 5 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in their first-round playoff series.
Ainge has swung big at times, but, ultimately, plenty of his moves in the last 10 failed to work out. He hit on the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown picks, but signings/trades for Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker have not brought the Celtics any farther than a conference final. And in the instance of the first three players, they all bolted once they got the chance to opt out.
Now, the Celtics are at a franchise crossroads. Tatum is the only untouchable, and they would be wise to hold on to Brown, as well. After that, pretty much everyone is available, and with Boston proving not to be a big free agent destination, the organization very well might consider blowing it up if they need to.
Whether they go that route or the retool one, they need someone committed for the long haul. It seems Ainge is acutely aware of that, and taking time to decide what the best course of action is for him.
