Brad Stevens and Celtics Want to Run it Back but at What Cost?

BOSTON — Brad Stevens unveiled an optimistic outlook for the Boston Celtics after arguably the most crushing defeat of this era in Game 7 of the Heat. He announced Joe Mazzulla will return for a second season as head coach and expressed a desire to retain the team’s core.

As Stevens praised Mazzulla’s leadership and accountability following a series that included admitted disconnectedness with players, along with a Game 3 Stevens called awful, he emphasized Boston could be conducting media day ahead of the NBA Finals. They stood only 48 minutes from where they reached a year ago. That inherently marks a step back, though, and with some players looking forward to another chance to advance together, others grappled with why they regressed. Stevens complimented the group, proud of their accomplishments.

“I think the first thing you have to do is look at what’s true,” Stevens told CLNS Media at the press conference. “We were the second best defense in the NBA, so something was good too, right? We were the second best offense in the regular season. That usually portends to give you a great shot.

“There’s no question that Rob (Williams)’ injury at the start of the year and him only playing 35 regular season games made it tougher to be, maybe from a lineup standpoint, what we could be defensively at our most dynamic, and so at the end of the day, I thought that we had to improve offensively to become better, to compete and we had to be able to play defense and maintain that level and identity that we had prior to be our very best. On both ends, we came up a little bit short. I do think, if I had to say, one end that we came up more short on in our last few games was probably the offensive end.”

The end-of-season presser reflected how much Mazzulla and Stevens now move in tandem as the Celtics’ leadership core. They struggled to address the team’s problems this year. Can they in a crucial summer?

Two years ago today, Danny Ainge stepped down and Stevens assumed a president role that forced him to hire his successor who’d reshape the locker room’s culture. With the last of Ime Udoka’s staff reportedly set to leave this summer, that group of tone-setters departed with Mazzulla’s offense-first prerogative now the team’s identity.

Mazzulla opened training camp with that emphasis, carried it throughout the season and despite a defensiveness toward the team’s production on the other end, the season ended with Mazzulla emphasizing defense at the demand of the players. They admitted they lost the defensive identity, ranked 10th in the playoffs. Mazzulla’s difficult starting position and need to build his own staff warranted more runway, but only if everyone in the room believes in Mazzulla’s philosophies.

“My goal every time down the floor is to get a great shot,” Stevens said, asked to assess Boston’s three-point reliance. “Everyone in the world would love for that to be a dunk. We had trouble getting by that first line with all the helping hands and activity, right? That takes away some of that. Then you hope you’re skilled enough and you’re able to take advantage of open looks. There are some looks that are great, and some looks that are more forced and contested, and that’s probably every game. I’m more focused on what’s a great shot, and not we need to do this or that. Can we get dunks? Can we get to the free throw line? Can we get open threes. That’s how I evaluate a game…which team toward an end of a series, the looks they’re getting are more in their wheelhouse.”

That includes Jaylen Brown, whose future in Boston emerged as the less certain reality from the limited commentary by Stevens, who cited his inability to discuss future contract negotiations. Brown earned the ability to receive five-years, $295 million from the Celtics with an All-NBA season. Boston doesn’t need to offer him that though, and while nickel-and-diming Brown won’t save the Celtics much against new CBA restrictions. It’s uncertain if the team plans to offer him a deal that’ll pay him $50-million with 8% annual raises starting in the 2024-25 season. It’s also uncertain if Brown wants to be here — something the Celtics can’t control.

Brown and Jayson Tatum’s salaries would account for roughly half of the league’s new second apron in 2025-26 when only Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III remain in the final year of their contracts. Passing the second apron prevents mid-level and buyout signings, certain trades and trading a distant draft pick. It’s prohibitive, but not impossible to work around if you believe in Brown as Tatum’s partner.

Trading Brown doesn’t lead to certain financial flexibility or increased competitiveness either. Signing him also doesn’t guarantee he and Tatum continue to grow as a tandem, or that Brown remains committed beyond the year where he’d become trade-eligible after an extension. Both sides need to make critical decisions after whatever level of mistrust stemmed from last summer’s Kevin Durant trade rumors.

The Celtics can’t shop him again and let leaks fester again, nor can they allow for more bad feelings by offering less. Brown, meanwhile, probably can’t decline $295-million, but can’t recommit to Boston without knowing his role in the team’s hierarchy supports Tatum, the emphasis will remain offense under Mazzulla and his defensive consistency needs to remain a focal point. It’s a difficult discussion where both sides need to acknowledge: do they want to continue this together?

“I’ve had nothing but great conversations with Jaylen,” Stevens said, after Brown paused and declined to comment on his future after Game 7. “I can say, without a doubt, we want Jaylen to be here and he’s a big part of us and I’m thankful for him, and I said this earlier. I’m really thankful for when those guys have success, they come back to work, and when they get beat, they own it and they come back to work. So I know that’s what they’re about and that’s hard to find, kind of like what I talked about with (Mazzulla’s) leadership earlier. Those qualities aren’t for everybody. Jaylen had a great year, All-NBA year and he’s a big part of us moving forward in our eyes.”

Running it back makes the most sense for both sides, as it doesn’t require any sacrifice short-term. Brown can only earn a 140% raise on his current salary if traded, as he’s only able to sign a super max with Boston. That amounts to roughly $197.3-million, a nearly $100-million pay cut. The Celtics, meanwhile, don’t have a Durant to target this time around. Who would return as a centerpiece in a deal? Dejounte Murray from the Hawks? R.J. Barrett from the Knicks? Zach LaVine from the Bulls? Jalen Green from Houston? Anfernee Simons from Portland? Maintaining the most talent possible gives the Celtics the best chance possible, as Stevens stated.

The Celtics also have to assess their mix, the team dynamic, after something transcending their talent level clearly limited them through an inconsistent postseason. Al Horford contested that inconsistency, admitting a lot went on this year that maybe a full offseason removed from the Udoka firing allows the team to heal from. Mazzulla can improve over time, but once super maxes kick in, the talent around the core will inevitably deteriorate. Do they have time to wait when a defensive-minded coach could’ve returned them to last year’s identity? The Athletic reported earlier this week Celtics players exited huddles uncertain about defensive coverages. 

Does Brown complement Tatum when he ranked in the 22nd percentile of on-off player net ratings according to Cleaning the Glass, and more importantly, will he grow into a super max contract? For Brown, what does he want? Does Boston provide him that? Stevens answered with the best bet on Thursday, avoiding the difficult questions that this season left following a year where they struggled to look in the mirror and figure out why they couldn’t hit their stride after an encouraging 21-5 start. Those questions still needs answering.

“(We) accomplished a lot to get to the point where we were,” Stevens said. “I have a great deal of admiration for their willingness to do that and I think it speaks to the quality of character we have in here. We just have to be a little bit better.”