This summer will be Brad Stevens’ first as the Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations. In following Danny Ainge, Stevens has the advantage of knowing intimately what Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown desire in teammates, spending a great deal of time with his stars over the past four years coaching the duo to two Eastern Conference finals appearances.
Stevens could be the best guy to get them over the hump in that sense. He comes from a collegiate coaching background where building personal relationships in the recruitment process is a crucial part of being able to get the most out of his roster. Stevens was essentially his own GM in college, which is mostly the case across the board at that level and lower.
Now, he doesn’t need to build a coach-player relationship anymore. His job ends when a player signs on the dotted line. The head coach he hires deals with whatever happens next in that player’s career.
Stevens’ blueprint will be had on how the roster is built as opposed to how it is developed. With a Kemba Walker trade imminent, he may be able to use the outbound $35 million in salary to bring back several rotation pieces.
But he still has the MLE at his disposal to bring in a high-impact free agent. Last year, the starting center for much of the year, Tristan Thompson, was brought in that way.
This year, these potential starters could realistically be signed with the MLE:
Boston Celtics MLE target #1: Richaun Holmes
After making just $5 million in 2020-21, Richaun Holmes hits the open market following a career year in which he averaged 14 points and eight rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. The Sacramento Kings could slide Marvin Bagley to the center spot if they see him as the long-term answer in the frontcourt, making Holmes likely to test the free-agent market.
While the 2021 NBA Draft is heavier on elite guard talent, there will be a few starter-level big men taken in the early to mid-first round. Teams in need of a center may prefer drafting a rookie over signing a free agent with cap space.
That may leave Holmes hunting for an MLE deal, and Stevens should be willing to complement Robert Williams with a veteran like Holmes.