Brad Stevens Drops Two Masterclasses in a Day as Boston Celtics Sign Experienced Players for Peanuts

Posted on by Jack Marks

Danny Ainge, who announced his retirement in 2021, was replaced as president of basketball operations by Stevens, according to the Boston Celtics. Stevens traded Kemba Walker, the 16th overall selection in the 2021 NBA draught, a 2025 second-round pick for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a 2023 second-round pick on June 18. This was his first deal since taking the job. In Stevens’ first season as an executive, the Celtics reached the NBA Finals but fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Now Brad has pulled off two crucial Celtics deals that could be useful next season. The Celtics of Brad Stevens entered the free-agent sweepstakes on Friday, allegedly reaching an agreement with forward Danilo Gallinari. After clearing waivers, Gallinari hopes to sign a two-year deal for the entire taxpayer midlevel. A soon-to-be 34-year-old sharpshooter will join the Celtics, adding size and shooting to an erratic and undersized bench.

Brad Stevens Boston Celtics
Mar 16, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens reacts during the first half against the Utah Jazz at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

On the other side, Five players, including Nik Stauskas, Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Juwan Morgan, and Malik Fitts, as well as a 2023 first-round selection, were received by Indiana in exchange for sending Brogdon to the Boston Celtics.

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Boston Celtics start free agency with a bag, courtesy: Brad Stevens

In the Dejounte Murray deal earlier this week, the Hawks traded Gallinari to the Spurs, and San Antonio moved quickly to effectuate a buyout. After losing out on certain players in and above the taxpayer midlevel, the Celtics paid a high price to add the veteran while defeating the Chicago Bulls in a negotiation.

We may anticipate further deals to be made sooner rather than later since the Celtics need to bolster their squad after trading away five of its players in the Brogdon transaction. More successfully than any of us could have ever imagined, everything is coming together. This is what the Celtics roster currently looks like as things stand.

The Year 2 player option appears to have forced Brad to give in, but the money isn’t outrageous, and we’ve seen that if an MLE player doesn’t pan out, Brad has no problem dealing with the player on the deadline.

By giving the Pacers all of their worthless players and a first-round selection, Brad successfully completed this transaction. Additionally, the enormous TPE that the Celts possess remains! Thomas Bryant is still being targeted as a veteran minimum man.

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