The Boston Celtics announced Wednesday that the team’s general manager and president of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, would be stepping down from his position with the team and would be replaced by head coach Brad Stevens.
Ainge, who was a member of the Celtics as a player from 1981-1989, joined the team in a front office role in 2003 where he helped construct the Celtics 2008 championship team.
In his years with the Celtics front office, Ainge made some of the most prolific moves in team history, such as acquiring players like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Kyrie Irving as well as trading Paul Pierce and Garnett for future picks that have turned into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He is the only Celtic in the team’s history to win a championship as a player and an executive.
“Helping guide this organization has been the thrill of a lifetime, and having worked side-by-side with him since he’s been here, I know we couldn’t be in better hands than with Brad guiding the team going forward,” Ainge said in a statement released by the Celtics. “I’m grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey.”
Brad Stevens, who was hired by Ainge to be the head coach in 2013, has led the Celtics to the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons along with three Eastern Conference Finals appearances
Stevens will now leave his coaching duties behind and assume the General Manager and President of Basketball Operations position in hopes of making the Celtics championship contenders once again.
“I’m grateful to ownership and to Danny for trusting me with this opportunity,” said Stevens in a statement from the Celtics.“I’m excited to tackle this new role, starting with a wide ranging and comprehensive search for our next head coach. I love the Celtics, and know the great honor and responsibility that comes with this job. I will give it everything I have to help us be in position to consistently compete for championships.”
It is still unknown who will be the teams next head coach, but according to Yahoo sports’s Chris Haynes and Vincent Goodwill; Chauncey Billups, Lloyd Pierce and Jason Kidd are all expected to be considered for the job.
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