Three Tough Breaks Summarizing Brilliance Of Celtics’ Brad Stevens

It’s been three years since Brad Stevens dropped the head coach’s clipboard to lead the Boston Celtics front office as the organization’s president of basketball operations. That promotion from the sideline to behind the scenes elevated the franchise to greater heights amid its championship run and continues to pay dividends by the day.

Stevens dealt away three premier pieces last offseason: Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon. In return, the Celtics welcomed aboard Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, proving Boston had no intentions of falling short yet again, regardless of the cost. Porzingis and Holiday were tailor-made to supplement Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, playing elite two-way basketball and buying into the selfless but open-minded culture head coach Joe Mazzulla worked tirelessly to establish.

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Boston completed its mountain climb as champions after a five-game NBA Finals breeze past the Dallas Mavericks, however, that’s the sweet side to Stevens’ handy work. In reality, parting ways with a trio of well-liked veteran contributors made Stevens out to be the genius of NBA front offices while simultaneously opening the door for a trio of misfortunes for Smart, Williams and Brogdon last season. Not only did the three endure rough debut runs with the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers, but Smart, Williams and Brogdon combined to make 65 appearances last season and missed the playoffs — watching the Celtics trot their way to Banner 18 in June.

“I was probably the most excited person for them,” Smart told reporters at media day, per Sports Illustrated. “… I wish I would have been a part of it because I worked so hard, but at the end of the day, they deserved it.”

Smart returns for Year 2 with Memphis after undergoing a rollercoaster debut run in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies opened up the first 25 games of their season without star guard Ja Morant, who because of a social media firearm-brandishing incident, was suspended for the first 30% of the campaign. Memphis went 6-19 without Morant and remained in its third-to-last in the West standing by the end of the season.

Williams reportedly generated trade interest throughout the offseason. The 26-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks across six appearances off the bench for Portland before undergoing season-ending surgery in November to reconstruct a torn ligament in his right knee. Now 10 months later, Williams remains injured after suffering a hamstring strain during training camp that’ll require a two-week absence and re-evaluation before returning to the floor.

Boston’s former “Time Lord” has logged 41 appearances in the last two seasons.

Brogdon, traded for a third straight time in as many offseasons, went from the worst team in the West (Portland) to the second-to-worst team in the East, the Washington Wizards. The 31-year-old hasn’t played meaningful basketball since being traded from the Celtics and Washington, too, isn’t any more promising than Portland. Yet, slated for another veteran leadership role with the Wizards, Brogdon’s debut in the Nation’s Capital will be delayed. Brogdon suffered a torn right thumb ligament, which is expected to sideline the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year for at least a month.

The title-defending Celtics, meanwhile, are 14 days from raising their record-setting 18th banner before opening up 2024-25 against the New York Knicks.