Report: Brad Stevens turned down $70M offer from Indiana to stay with Celtics

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/report-brad-stevens-turned-down-to-70-m-offer-from-indiana-to-stay-with-celtics-222404520.html



Report: Brad Stevens turned down $70M offer from Indiana to stay with Celtics



Jason Owens

Sun, April 18, 2021, 3:24 PM



Indiana didn't fail to sign Brad Stevens for lack of trying.

The Boston Celtics head coach reportedly turned down the Hoosiers last month before IU eventually hired Mike Woodson as its head basketball coach. Now we know just how much IU coveted Stevens.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Indiana was prepared to make Stevens a 7-year, $70 million offer. He reported the news Saturday night during ESPN's NBA studio show.

Ian Steele
@IanSteeleABC6
·
Apr 17
.
@wojespn
says that Indiana was prepared to offer Brad Stevens a seven year, $70m contract.

Stevens wasn’t interested.
@abc6
#bleedgreen
https://twitter.com/i/status/1383580651903881217


Annual salary more than Coach K, Calipari

Just how big of a deal is that? It would have made Stevens the highest-paid coach in college basketball by annual salary. More than Duke's Mike Krzyzewski ($9 million, per Forbes). More than Kentucky's John Calipari ($8.6 million per year).

So how much does Stevens make in Boston? That isn't clear. Stevens has coached the Celtics since 2013, initially signing a six-year, $22 million deal in 2013 that pales in comparison to IU's offer. He's since signed a pair of extensions, most recently in 2020.

Terms of his latest extension weren't revealed. It's safe to assume he got a hefty raise over his initial deal. But is he making $10 million annually? That would place him among the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. Would IU have come in under his current salary in its attempt to lure him away?


Brad Stevens reportedly turned down a massive offer from IU. (Kim Klement/Reuters)


So nothing was luring Stevens to Bloomington

The bottom line is that it appears that no realistic offer would have swayed Stevens to leave Boston for Bloomington. Stevens has done the college thing, and he's done it well. He took Butler to back-to-back NCAA title games in 2010 and 2011, paving his path to the Celtics job.

Now he's in is eighth season coaching one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports. And he doesn't have to grind on the recruiting trail.


Indiana's a hard sell

Meanwhile, IU is a tough job. It's a program in a perpetual state of rebuild amid local expectations that it's still among college basketball's elite. And it's not. It hasn't been for a long time. That path to success at IU in a hyper-competitive Big Ten is narrow.

While Stevens' Celtics have failed to reach the NBA Finals in his tenure, they're fresh off their third Eastern Conference Finals appearance in four seasons. There's plenty of young talent and promise in Boston and a chance for the 44-year-old Stevens to build his Celtics legacy.

While the $70 million offer is staggering at first glance, it's not hard to see why Stevens turned it down — especially when he can use it as leverage in his next deal.


Bob
MY NOTE:  Even Stevens-haters have to admire his loyalty.  Remember when Doc was here and there was some question about whether players like KG should resign here?  Doc signed a contract first, to send the message that loyalty is not only expected from players but from coaches as well.  Brad signed an extension before they met with Al Horford to send the same message also.

And if there was any question whether Danny and Wyc are going to fire Brad Stevens anytime soon, or if Brad was going to walk away in frustration, that question has pretty much been answered now too, hasn't it?


.

Yep. That was an all-in move, or non-move. That's pretty much a wrap on this site on Danny or Stevens going anywhere else in the off-season.

db

dbrown4 wrote:Yep.  That was an all-in move, or non-move.  That's pretty much a wrap on this site on Danny or Stevens going anywhere else in the off-season.

db  

Or you know one of them anyway

Mark Murphy @Murf56
about 11 minutes ago
Stevens on what he would have done if offered that huge IU package, which he denies happened: "I wasn’t going to leave anyways. This place has been so good to our family, so good to me, and we owe them, especially in the middle of a very trying time and a very trying season."


Bob


.

I have enormous respect for Brad as a person. He's been a damn good coach, although I bitch a lot because he does not take my advice. Dumb advice.

Turning down the Indiana job had to be incredibly difficult. One of the Meccas of basketball and college coaches at that level get complete control of the program. It’s a completely different life than the mostly tenuous existence of an NBA coach. If that were me I have no question I’d have been on that campus as quickly as possible. Stevens is a rare bird to want to stay in Boston and the NBA. You have to admire his determination to continue guiding the Celtics. No question about his level of dedication.

The Celtics took a chance on hiring a college coach and since then he has secured two extensions. His salary has not been disclosed by Boston but it has to be in the $6-7 million dollar range.

Like his young team he has been given space to develop as a coach along with his players.

My criticism of him are really based on being an old school basketball fan. The 3 areas where he could improve his team would be

1) Fast break basketball - he has the horses to run

2) More discipline - Set high expectations and consequences
for not playing the right way.

3) Schemes - on how to shut down the hot hand, basically
taking a guy out of his comfort level and force the not so
hot hand to make shots.

That is pretty much it.

He is going to be the Greg Popovich of this generation. This will be a lifetime job unless something unbelievable happens. So this story can be put to bed

How did Brad turn down a job he was never offered? His words- “First of all I was never offered a package. That’s all news to me”
Besides, Rosalie just signed him to a lifetime contract so..we good!   

RosalieTCeltics wrote:He is going to be the Greg Popovich of this generation. This will be a lifetime job unless something unbelievable happens. So this story can be put to bed

Rosalie

No one gets a lifetime job except for Supreme Court Justices.

Steven's will need to add a banner or two to legitimately be in the conversation with coach Pop. How else can we measure coaching greatness?

dboss wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:He is going to be the Greg Popovich of this generation. This will be a lifetime job unless something unbelievable happens. So this story can be put to bed

Rosalie

No one gets a lifetime job except for Supreme Court Justices.  

Steven's will need to add a banner or two to legitimately be in the conversation with coach Pop.  How else can we measure coaching greatness?

^^^^^^ 100%^^^^^^^