Brad Stevens Replaces Danny Ainge as Celtics President of Basketball Operations

After being eliminated from the postseason on Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics front office will undergo significant changes. 

The team announced on Wednesday that Danny Ainge is retiring as president of basketball operations, with Brad Stevens vacating his position as head coach to replace Ainge. 

"Helping guide this organization has been the thrill of a lifetime, and having worked side-by-side with him since he's been here, I know we couldn't be in better hands than with Brad guiding the team going forward," Ainge said. "I'm grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey."

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Stevens will assist the team in its search for a new head coach:

Despite making the playoffs, the Celtics had a disappointing 2020-21 season overall. They dealt with a series of injuries to key players and finished 36-36 during the regular season, their worst record since the 2014-15 campaign (40-42). 

Boston lost to the Brooklyn Nets in five games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

Expectations were high for the Celtics coming into this season. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals last year in the bubble before losing to the Miami Heat in six games. 

It marked the third time in the past four seasons that Boston reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but it was never able to get over the final hurdle to play in the NBA Finals. 

Stevens has been the Celtics head coach since July 2013. The 44-year-old ranks fourth in franchise history with 636 games coached and 354 victories. He led the team to the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons.