Celtics Rumors: Did Danny Ainge Help Prevent Brad Stevens’ Firing?

Brad Stevens now boasts a higher title within the Celtics organization than he did a few days ago.

Ironically enough, one important member of Boston’s franchise not terribly long ago apparently wanted Stevens to pack his bags.

Stevens on Wednesday shifted from Celtics head coach to the team’s president of basketball operations. He replaces longtime C’s executive Danny Ainge, who, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, went to bat for Stevens when Boston was going through one of its several rough patches during the regular season.

“At one point in the regular season as the Celtics were struggling, a prominent member of the Celtics organization wanted to fire Stevens immediately, per SNY sources familiar with the matter,” Begley wrote in a column published Wednesday.

“Ainge was among those in the organization who were against the decision, sources say. Clearly, the organization ultimately sided with Ainge at the time and kept Stevens.”

It remains to be seen how long of a leash Stevens will have in his new role with the Celtics. Plenty of work needs to be done in Boston — including finding a new head coach — and most of those important decisions will fall squarely on Stevens’s shoulders.

Should the C’s continue to trend downward in the 2021-22 season, one has to imagine that “prominent” member of the organization will pipe up again.