Since moving to the front office, Brad Stevens has rebuilt the Boston Celtics in his image. During the 2023 offseason, Stevens swung for the fences, adding both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to the roster. Those additions led to Boston’s 2024 championship.
It’s safe to say that Stevens’ tenure as the Celtics President of Basketball Operations is a success. In fact, he’s had more success in the front office than he did as a head coach, and that’s saying a lot. Still, that hasn’t stopped rumors linking him with Indiana University from popping back up again.
Fortunately, Jeff Goodman of ‘The Field of 68’ has reported that Stevens has no intention of leaving the Celtics organization.
“BREAKING: Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told
@TheFieldOf68 that he is not a candidate for the Indiana University job,” Goodman reported. “‘I thoroughly appreciate being a Celtic and love the people I get to work with every day.'”
Stevens accumulated a 354-282 regular-season record during his time on the sidelines. He’s still widely considered to be among the best basketball minds on the planet, and could easily improve a team’s fortunes as their head coach. Fortunately for Celtics fans, Stevens likely believes he still has plenty left to accomplish in the NBA, and that should keep him around for years to come.
Celtics Could Lose Sam Cassell
According to Heavy on Sports’ Steve Bulpett, Sam Cassell could potentially leave the Celtics to become the next head coach of Flordia State. Should Cassell take the job, he would be the second lead assistant to leave the Celtics midway through the season in the last three years. Damon Stoudamire followed a similar path when he joined Georgia Tech in 2023.
“Once the athletic department reaches out to me, then (FSU’s interest) is official. But they haven’t reached out to me,” Cassell told Bulpett. “The athletic director hasn’t reached out to me yet…If it’s God’s will, it’ll happen. God has a plan for me…Listen, man, I have a great life. I’m associate head coach of the Boston Celtics. It’s good livin’ right here. When I do get an opportunity on this level, I’ll be ready. I can guarantee that. I am ready. Simple.”
Cassell is among the best assistant coaches in the NBA. Losing him would be a major blow to Joe Mazzulla and Boston’s chances of repeating as champions this season. Nevertheless, Cassell must make the right choice for his career, and if that means he joins Flordia State, then so be it.
Torrey Craig Revealed Why He Joined The Celtics
Torrey Craig became an unrestricted free agent when he was waived by the Chicago Bulls ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Boston quickly moved to add him to their roster. They had two open roster spots following their decision to send Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets.
Craig plugs a legitimate need for Boston. Mazzulla’s team had been short on quality depth at the wing position this season. When speaking to the media following a Feb. 8 practice, Craig explained what led him to join the reigning champions.
“As a competitor in the league, you always want to play for something and compete for something,” Craig said. “I’m a super competitor and I want to play basketball the right way at the highest level. Just to get an opportunity to come play with these guys was like a no-brainer…They’re a deep team, super talented. Well-coached, well-disciplined. They play the right way. They know what it takes to win playing defense. Playing together and having each other’s backs. You can just see it. The team chemistry and they allow each other to feed off each other and play together and I think that’s why they’ve been so dominant these past couple years.”
Craig will likely have an important role to play for the Celtics throughout the remainder of the season. His ability on defense and when spacing the floor will both be valuable tools. However, at present, he projects as a depth player who could miss out on a rotation spot once the postseason begins. Still, having Craig as an insurance policy is undoubtedly an upgrade for the Celtics.
