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Brad Stevens continues his quest to fill out the new-look front office of the Boston Celtics, and one position that still needs filling is the General Manager position. Although Brad Stevens has already completed the first trade of this new era – bringing back fan-favorite Al Horford in exchange for Kemba Walker and this year’s first rounder – the team is still looking for a GM to be a part of the player management process. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer gave some insights on the names included in the search:
The latest trade details around the NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s quiet, yet surprising availability, and a few nuggets on front office maneuvering in Dallas and Boston, all at @BR_NBA: https://t.co/KfyHSWBOVn
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 27, 2021
Far from the most glamorous name in a story that includes Bradley Beal, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Ben Simmons, Landry Fields has continued to be a target to fill the GM position. Landry Fields was a player in the league most notably associated with the New York Knicks, but he currently works in the front office of the ECF runner-ups – the Atlanta Hawks.
Additionally, this report names Jeff Peterson, the assistant GM of the Brooklyn Nets (super team) and Bryson Graham, the assistant GM of the New Orleans Pelicans (just pulled off a trade with Memphis to move back in the draft).
Landry Fields is the biggest name here, having played for an upstart Knicks team that was looking promising before flaming out after a Carmelo Anthony trade midseason. He signed an offer sheet from the Toronto Raptors in 2012, but was forced into retirement after surgery on a hip labral tear kept him out of the 2015-16 NBA season. Since then, he’s worked his way into personnel management, working as a college scout for the Spurs as he moved his way up to be the GM of the G-League Austin Spurs. In October 2020, he was named Assistant General Manager of the Atlanta Hawks.
One thing that’s clear with these three names surfacing is that Brad Stevens is remaining committed to adding diversity to the front office. The mission to add different voices and perspective to the upper braintrust is a change in approach over the last several years as Danny Ainge kept a very small and tight-knit group in charge of decisions. Brad Stevens is expanding what that team looks like, and hiring a GM is the first step.
Again, this is far from the most star-studded news you’ll read about this week, but it is important to note as the Celtics continue to seek Banner 18 for the franchise.