Last fall, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said he saw no end in sight for his tenure and was ready to extend coach Brad Stevens’ contract.
Here we are.
Taylor C. Snow of Celtics.com:The Boston Celtics announced Wednesday that they have extended the contracts of president of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, and head coach, Brad Stevens. The terms, per team policy, have not been disclosed.
Managing partner, governor and CEO Wyc Grousbeck told Celtics.com that based on Stevens’ and Ainge’s success in their respective roles, the decision to extend their contracts was made without hesitation.
“A major job of ownership is to find the right people to run the basketball side,” Grousbeck said. “We believe we have found them in Danny and Brad.”
“Once you find your people,” he continued, “you need to support them in their efforts and create a work environment that enables them and the team to succeed. If all of that is in place, the topic of extending contracts becomes an easy one, because everybody wants to keep moving forward together.”
After a rough start running the Celtics 13 years ago, Ainge made a huge splash in the summer of 2007 – trading for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. A year later, Boston was NBA champion, and Ainge had gained tremendous job security. He leveraged that to flip Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets for three first-round picks and swap rights on another. That treasure trove of picks has the Celtics well positioned for a bright future.
Ainge also hired Stevens.
Stevens, who has three years remaining on his original contract, has quickly become one of the NBA’s most-respected coaches after jumping from Butler. He communicates well, implements a sound defense and finds ways to space the floor offensively.
Both Ainge and Stevens earned these extensions, and considering how the coaching market has changed in the last three years, Stevens should also get a substantial raise from the $3.7 million per year he was making.
