The Boston Celtics have employed one of the best rosters in the NBA for the better parts of the past decade. From Jayson Tatum to Jaylen Brown to Isaiah Thomas to Al Horford, they’ve had a bunch of elite talent come through the locker room. Obviously, Tatum, Brown, and Horford got the job done this past year, but Brad Stevens has always been a puppeteer.
Danny Ainge was the GM for a while, but Stevens was the head coach, putting him in a lead role. And once Stevens moved into the front office, his impact on the team was widened even more.
Yet rumors of him leaving Boston have consistently popped up (through no fault of his own).
Brad Stevens, Indiana rumors were never going to happen
Stevens’ career was spearheaded by an impressive stint at Butler. He coached the Bulldogs to two straight National Finals appearances in 2010 and 2011 but was unable to raise the trophy in either.
Despite that, Stevens has a deep connection to Indiana. He was born in Zionsville, went to college at DePauw, and stayed in the state at Butler when he started there as an assistant in 2001.
So, now that Mike Woodson will be retiring as the head coach of Indiana University, Stevens’ name obviously popped up as a potential replacement. But according to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, who spoke with Stevens, the Celtics GM isn’t going anywhere.
Goodman reported that he is not a candidate to replace Woodson, and Stevens stated that he enjoys his role with the Celtics.
“I thoroughly appreciate being a Celtic and love the people I get to work with every day,” Stevens told Goodman.
BREAKING: Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told @TheFieldOf68 that he is not a candidate for the Indiana University job.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 14, 2025
“I thoroughly appreciate being a Celtic and love the people I get to work with every day,” Stevens told @TheFieldOf68.
But anyone who has followed the Celtics for years shouldn’t be shocked to hear that Stevens doesn’t want to leave Boston. In fact, the reaction should be quite the opposite. It should have been assumed that he wasn’t going to leave.
Since Stevens left the great state of Indiana in favor of Boston, Massachusetts, they have changed coaches twice. Woodson’s departure will mark the third.
Each time a change has occurred, Stevens’ name has been thrown into rumors, but each time, Stevens has adamantly stated that he does not want to leave Boston.
The most recent shift was at the end of the 2020-21 season, which would have been the perfect time for Stevens to jump ship. He left the coaching role in Boston and stepped into the front office, but he could have thrown his hat into the ring to coach at Indiana. It would have been a seamless transition.
Instead, Stevens stuck with the Celtics organization. And at this point, he seems to be very happy to don the green and white. Nobody should be surprised that he doesn’t want to leave for Indiana.