The Boston Celtics’ season came to an end Tuesday night in a 123-109 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of the first round of their playoff series.
Less than 24 hours later, Danny Ainge stepped down from his role as the president of basketball operations, as coach Brad Stevens will transition into that role.
“I loved coaching and I loved coaching the players both at Butler and here, but this is the new challenge and this is what we need to do to hopefully be even better,” Stevens said.
Ainge said that he started to consider retirement after suffering a heart attack two years ago.
“You’re surrounded by your six children in the hospital and they’re saying you need to quit doing this for work, it’s causing you too much stress,” Ainge said.
With Ainge out of the picture, Stevens will have his work cut out for him on improving this roster.
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More Celtics Rumors
- Marcus Smart could be on the move this offseason, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Smart is the longest-tenured Celtic, but could be the most valuable asset to help the Celtics retool their roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
- Kemba Walker is viewed to have negative trade value around the league, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Boston hoped Walker could get healthy enough for a big playoff run to help improve his trade value to at least a neutral level.
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Evan Fournier will reach unrestricted free agency this offseason, and is seeking $15-$20 million a season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. A league executive thinks Boston will re-sign him if he agrees to a price around the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
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Jason Kidd and Lloyd Pierce are expected to be candidates for the newly vacant head coaching position, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Kidd has served as an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Lakers’ staff for the past two seasons after coaching stints with the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. Pierce recently was relieved of his head coaching duties by the Atlanta Hawks.
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Nets assistant coach Ime Udoka is also a candidate for the head coaching job, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Udoka has been widely considered a deserving candidate to take over a head coaching job in recent years.
