There's not many more well regarded executives around the league than Brad Stevens at the Boston Celtics, but the Golden State Warriors appear to be challenging the former Executive of the Year with their recent roster strategy.
The Warriors have acquired not one, not two, but three former Celtics big men in the last seven months, at least two of which Stevens was more than willing to move on from and have them shipped out of Boston.
Warriors challenge Brad Stevens by chasing former Celtics big men
Golden State eventually signed Al Horford on the eve of the season following Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency. While Stevens offered the 39-year-old a chance to stay at the Celtics, it wasn't going to be anywhere near the two-year, $12 million contract he got in the Bay Area.
Earlier last offseason, Stevens had quickly moved on from Kristaps Porzingis in a salary dump trade with the Atlanta Hawks. That look justified considering Porzingis continued to battle injury/health concerns and only appeared in 17 games for the Hawks, but that didn't stop the Warriors from taking a chance on the Latvian in a pre-deadline deal that sent out the aforementioned Kuminga.
Most recently, Charles Bassey spent 20 days (two 10-day contracts) with the Celtics as Nikola Vucevic dealt with a hand injury. Instead of keeping Bassey around for the playoffs, Stevens went in the direction of Dalano Banton who has signed for the remainder of the season.
Back on the market and having appeared in 17 games for Santa Cruz this season, the Warriors quickly nabbed Bassey on their own 10-day contract. The 25-year-old has already made a statement, recording a pair of double-doubles earlier in the week against the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers.
Warriors hope targeting former Celtics pays off in the long run
Golden State's interest in former Boston big men might only be a coincidence, but it still challenges Stevens' view of those players and their potential value moving forward. Given the Celtics will stunningly finish second in the Eastern Conference, Stevens has been vindicated to date for moving on from Horford, Porzingis and Bassey.
However, the Warriors will be hoping that changes next season. They'll wish for Horford to pick up his $6 million player option to enter a 20th NBA season, while there's already been reports of mutual interest in a new free agency deal with Porzingis. Bassey might have also done enough to warrant a new deal for next season, particularly given he complements the floor-spacing skillset of Horford and Porzingis.
The jury is still out on whether adding a trio of former Celtics will ultimately work out in the long-term, with the Warriors hoping for more luck next season after this campaign has been decimated by injuries.