As voted on by NBA team executives, Zach Kleiman earned this season's Executive of the Year award. Celtics' president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, came in sixth, receiving one first-place vote and the second-most second and third-place votes, giving him 20 points total.
Stevens' most notable moves start with hiring Ime Udoka, who finished fourth for Coach of the Year. Udoka also earned Coach of the Month honors on multiple occasions, making history within a franchise that had three people who previously held the position named to the list of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, primarily for their work with the Celtics. That list, by the way, does not include Hall of Fame coach Tommy Heinsohn.
Stevens also inked Marcus Smart (four years, $76.5 million) and Robert Williams (four years, $48 million) to extensions that don't break the bank. The latter is particularly team-friendly.
Stevens' decision not to re-sign Evan Fournier also proved wise, despite Fournier torching the Celtics on multiple occasions. He also brought back Al Horford in a deal that sent Kemba Walker to the Thunder before Walker went home to New York.
Danny Ainge's successor also repeatedly reinforced the franchise had no interest in breaking up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And at the trade deadline, Stevens' reshaping of the roster helped Boston ascend, moving on from players such as Enes Freedom and Dennis Schroder to find better fits like Derrick White and Daniel Theis.
More must-reads: