Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens doesn’t have to worry about shopping on a budget.
Even with Boston going to be a luxury tax team this season, there’s currently no financial constraints on Stevens if he wants to add more to the roster, which will require Celtics ownership to write another check. Co-owner Wyc Grousbeck is fine with splurging with the Celtics seen as one of the top contenders for an NBA title.
“I think we’re spending about $200 million on the roster this year, and Brad has the green light to spend more,” Grousbeck told The Boston Globe. “People can write or think whatever they want. Or, you can actually look at what we do, which is do whatever we possibly can to win a championship. And we’re in the mode right now of completely adding on. Are you going to trade future draft picks and young players under 30? Hopefully not. But money is not a consideration whatsoever, and this roster shows that.”
It seems Grousbeck has pretty much given Stevens free rein and feels the former coach will make wise decisions with how he spends the franchise’s money.
“We are not worried about it. Just tell us who you want,” Grousbeck said. “When Brad puts together a roster, it’s put together on the basis of basketball. Let’s put it that way.”
Stevens is just entering his second full season in a front office role after spending eight years on the sideline as the Celtics coach. The 45-year-old had a busy offseason, trading for Malcolm Brogdon and signing Danilo Ganilari, who tore his ACL last month.
Those additions without surrendering anything of means were moves Grousbeck agreed with as he directed Stevens to make sure the Celtics were an improved team on the floor this season after coming up two wins shy of raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“Do whatever it takes to get better, because we weren’t good enough,” Grousbeck said. “So do whatever it takes to get better. And he boiled the ocean. He did everything he could think of to make us better.”
