After winning the franchise’s first title in 16 years, Celts President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens made it a point to sign all of his regular rotation players in the summer, as he explained in an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.
After Boston defeated the Mavericks in the 2024 final, the club re-signed regular players Jayson Tatum And Derrick Whiteplus frontcourt reserves Sam Hauser, Xavier Tillman And Lukas Kornettup to contract extensions.
“If you have a group that fits together, that supports each other, that knows who they are and what they contribute, then I think you should keep it that way,” said Stevens. “That’s not to say we don’t want to evolve. We have to keep an eye on things – especially at the beginning of the year, because even the same group can be completely new in a new season. So we have to keep an eye on where we really are. And do we need to improve? Do we need to make small changes? Do we need to make big changes? We’ll just always keep an eye on that.”
The whole interview is worth reading. Here are some more highlights:
- While the Celtics are already deep into the NBA’s second tax apron, the club’s expenses will become even more exorbitant in the 2025-26 season. Stevens seemed to indicate that he will explore options to reduce Boston’s spending. “We want to try to set our guys on fair and good extensions that they really feel comfortable with and hopefully keep this thing going as long as we can keep it going,” said Stevens. “We’re going to hit all the hurdles when we get there, and the various penalties in basketball that come with being over the second apron are real, and we just have to weigh them against our current situation as a basketball team, and we have to weigh the financial aspect of it as well. And I’m sure part of that will be a discussion among the new investors, whoever they may be.”
- The Celtics still have one spot open on their 15-man standard roster, and Stevens seems to relish the option of keeping the spot open in case of an injury before training camp. “We’ll just monitor the health of our team and see how everyone is doing. If any issues arise between now and September that we really need to address, then we could use it,” said Stevens. “But right now I’d say that’s unlikely. We’re still trying to sign a couple of Exhibit 10s who will most likely play in Maine. But we’ll see.”
- Five-time All-Star Al HorfordAt 38 years of age, he is now the Celtics’ sixth man and won his first title with Boston after years of playoff success with the Hawks, Celtics and Sixers. “A guy like Al deserves this award because he knocked on the door,” said Stevens. “And the margins are so small that I’m glad people who consider it a win or a loss can put Al in the ‘one win’ category.”
