PRESS CONFERENCE: Brad Stevens on Xavier Tillman, Jaden Springer, adding in buyout market

PRESS CONFERENCE: Brad Stevens on Xavier Tillman, Jaden Springer, adding in buyout market

Brad Xavier what made him stand out as a guy that could help this group and you know how big of a role do you see him having with this team well I don’t think you know whatever happens with roles I mean we have one goal right and that

Goal is to ultimately win it and um to be our best that we can possibly be um as we continue to move forward but um we’ve always liked Xavier he is a uh obviously big and strong um moves his feet well laterally um so he’s been able

To guard a number of people at a number of different positions well um above that he has you he plays the game for the right reasons right he competes he passes thinks the game well um you know all the stuff that we’ve been fortunate with the guys we have um around our best

Players that they’ve brought to the table you know that they you know he knows how to play um so you know we’re excited to have him he’s a guy that we’ve always you know liked and um thought could be of help we’ll see how that stuff all plays itself out I mean

At the end of the day um you know there’s what it does is it gives us a lot of flexibility I mean our coaches have you know we’ve started with a quote smaller lineup most of the year but we play several minutes a game with a big

Lineup you know it just hopefully gives us you know more options to to do either right we all like to think of trade deadline as immediate help but how much of the consideration was longterm on you know would we assume decent contracts for where the financial situation is

Well I think I think the the first of all I I think that it depends on just where you are as your team and where you are in this situation right so for us we have a you know a rotation group of players that has played awfully well

Together um you know beyond just you know six seven eight guys right we’ve got a several guys that have played awfully well together so you want to be able to add to the depth of the group without throwing off the equilibrium of the group necessarily um but that can

Happen too in these types of deals um but then also what can we do to get guys in the building that we think you know they they could certainly help us now and add to our group but also you know be able to hopefully manage and navigate

Some of the things we’re going to have to manage and navigate over the next few you know few months and years um so it is a certainly and I think the Springer thing when you think about like a guy that’s still on his rookie scale contract and you know he’s younger than

Most of the guys that we’re looking at in the draft right so um you know that was just an opportunity for us to um you know bring in a guy who we think you know he is an athlete that can play athletically in the playoffs right but

He also has a lot of growing to get better and uh um he’s committed to that and um you know he’s got a long Runway ahead of him so we’ll see how this year shakes itself out for him see how it all fits with the team but he’s a guy that

We believe in when you guys played in Philly in mid November went on a 20 to4 run and then he flipped the momentum of the game in that second quarter got the crowd into it how much of a factor was that in terms of tracking his development maybe a little closer and

Ultimately trading for him uh I would say that that wasn’t a huge Factor um we’ve tracked his development prettyy closely over the years we liked him in the draft a few years ago he was the youngest player in that draft and again he’s still like he’s still a puppy he’s

Still 21 years old um and so um I would say that the preseason game here had more of an impact than that so we were already like whoa that looks like strides and the other thing that you know everybody that is nuts like us watches is all the g-league stuff and um

You know he was unbelievable in the g-league um playoffs last year and you know he’s done a lot of good things against us when he’s been up in Maine and we’ve seen him live several times up there so he’s a guy we’ve been tracking for a while BR what’s what’s it like to

To uh talk to a conference or a rival like you’re calling darl is it like silence on the phone like what’s it like to work a trade out with someone you’re trying to you guys are trying to beat each other’s heads in yeah I think everybody’s got to do what they think is

Best for their um for their organization in that moment at that time and you know um I think the other the other reality is maybe we all have different evaluations of people and that’s you know that’s part of it um I don’t know where they stood or where they stand or

How it impacts them you know I know what it opens up you know all of the stuff they’ve done um for the next few years but I think that ultimately we just have to look at where are we how can we maybe try to do things that can help us

Improve by the margins now but also give give us chances to hit on guys later that we otherwise Can’t Get Right I mean you know in the draft that Springer went in I think we had the 45th pick the next year we had the 53rd pick you know again

This year even with a late first rounder or um you know whatever that Dallas second becomes we’re going to be talking about guys in a lot of cases that are older than the guy that we just traded for that’s a third-year pro so it’s just how do you how do you best maximize

Within your group and I think you have to throw out some of the who’s on the other side and all that stuff and just do what you think is best for your group you guys made that trake pretty close to three what was the day like for you guys

Yesterday with you guys had the grand TP were you weighing a lot of options over the course of day did the Jaden deal come up later we weren’t after we got Xavier there wasn’t much motivation or like you know we we we knew that what we had from the standpoint of you know

Another big that could play alongside you know Al and Chris staps but also as a standalone big like could give you a depth that was our biggest area of focus and from that point it was just continuing to Circle back on some of these young prospects around the

League that we were most intrigued by um that we could take into the tpe um with a you know with a second round pick or so so that so Jaden we had talked about several times for several months before that we were we would have an interest should they be Desiring to move

Them and so that kind kind of came across you know we’ve had several I’d say that that stuff you know over the course of two weeks gets brought up a couple of times and then you’re just ready to make a decision on the trade deadline day so I

Wouldn’t say it was like you know we were sweating over decision- making at that time it was more okay if this happens we’ll probably do that and you guys have the open roster spot now still do you expect to be patient with that um progress here like what and what are you

Evaluating that spot for eventually for this group well I think we just have to see number one is if if there’s somebody that can again provide great depth for our group um and but I don’t anticipate you know a game you know a person that vaults into our um you know

Every night rotation after acquiring Xavier is the plan to keep nimi on a two-way deal I have we have to continue to evaluate everything for that you know last roster spot we have open but Nim’s done a great job like he’s done a great job how much confidence do you have

Based on what the team’s done so far that you guys are on track of that Championship this year how much more do you still have to see from this there’s so much that has to happen to even give yourself a chance I mean we could you

Know we’re we’re good enough to to make a a Deep Run and and potentially win it and the other teams are good enough to beat us in the first round and so we have to continue to improve as a team we have to make sure that we are focused on

The right stuff we have to stay unselfish we have to stay about the team and we just have to keep getting better I mean that’s that’s the reality of it this is high level competition with a lot of good teams this is not you know um nothing is done on paper everything

Will be done on the court you’ve talked a little bit about it but how important was it to you to add pieces without touching the rotation that you already had in I mean I just think the way that they play together the understanding of how to play together and it goes beyond

Our you know the guys everybody talks about I think I mean there’s been several games this year where I thought our starters you know started the game okay and then our bench came in and just flipped it right and so I’ve been really encouraged by how all those groups have

Combin to play well together um so you know there wasn’t you it was pretty obvious that we weren’t going to make a a big move just because you know when you start looking at what we can send out with the basketball constraints um that we now have with the

With the second apron and where we are um and what we could take back you know it wasn’t going to be high High money um just because our high money guys are all playing great for us and all critical parts of our team that second apron uh

So you’re going to remain a second apron team for the rest of the season is that is that kind of where you guys are or is it possible that you can get underneath it I would say we are okay so how does that impact how does that impact the

Moves going forward I mean this is a whole the whole all of the all of the basketball penalties um there are some now that that you feel they will increase this summer um and then they increase the following year as well um and there will be things that we’ll all

Really have to factor in you know when those things happen and so that’ll you know I think the the obvious ones um as you enter this summer if you are over the second apron is you know the ability to make trades is tougher right and and

It’s tougher in a lot of ways but you know the ability to aggregate contracts and those type of things are all things that you have to you know you have to consider we you can’t send cash out in deals after if you’re a second apron

Team after this year so there’s a lot to consider and um you know we’re every everything we’ve done has at least an eye towards what those things that we’ll have to balance are uh moving forward final couple questions rad how do you view the trade deadline you’ve made a

Move I mean every year that you’ve been in this position is there value there just trying to get just trying to you know it depends on where you are as a group a couple years ago I felt like we were a little bit better than our record

And the Derek white thing was like good for the near- term but also um it just made sense like moving forward like he was just a going to be a good fit whether he it took him time or not um and that was pretty obvious you know

Most of the time I think you’re you know when you’re in a position like we are or some of the other teams um that are that have been you know know at the playing well throughout the year and with these you know different basketball penalties with the second apron you there’s not

Much that you can do um for us it is about how do we balance fortifying oursel this year to give ourselves our best chance this year and also give ourselves options moving into the for into the future because we’re going to be limited and what we

Can do you did two deals with teams that you did deals with back in the offseason how have you found these first few years on the job the kind of weird dynamic of having to cooperate with your competitors has SP which is kind of different than what you were doing when you were

Coaching we did two oh Portland and um Memphis um so you asked about say this what’s the dynamic like working with your competitors to get deals done that work for both sides I think all I think everybody in these positions that are making calls for teams you know and it’s

Not just me it’s you know our our front office that’s talking to teams throughout the year I think you have to have a you know there’s a there’s a there’s a healthy relationship with the other teams I have a lot of respect for all of the other teams and the front

Offices and listen this is a a really well-run league and really smart people in all of these buildings and it is um and it is something that you just have to respect the level of competition and and you have to respect um how hard it

Is to win and your respect of the people that you’re working with I think we you know you have to you have to be able to maintain positive relationships with people um in addition to compete with them Joe recently said that one of Joe recently said that one of his biggest

Areas of growth this season is when he calls a set making sure the team sees it the same way so it doesn’t bog down the offense or throw off the Rhythm from your sense once one of his biggest areas of development from last season to this

One uh I think Joe’s just you know Joe’s always been a guy that was a a really good coach and just like you know if if you’re writing or if you know somebody else is teaching or somebody else is working in finance or whatever they should be better the next year than they

Were the year before and that’s just the way that people go but he’s he’s a talented guy he does a lot of good things I don’t I don’t know that I would have signaled that as the thing but maybe maybe he was just looking for something to say in that moment um but

But he’s he’s running a bunch of good stuff and our are doing a good job thank you presented by your New England Ford dealers built for America built Ford proud

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens speaks with the media about his two acquisitions at the NBA’s trade deadline- forward Xavier Tillman from Memphis and guard Jaden Springer from Philadelphia.

Also, Stevens talks about the possibility of adding a player in the buyout market and more.

CONNECT ➡️ Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nbcsboston || Our website: https://www.nbcsportsboston.com || Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @nbcsboston

🎧Listen to our podcasts:
🏀 Celtics Talk: https://link.chtbl.com/RJkwuSSg
🏈 Patriots Talk: https://link.chtbl.com/I4lb7Oey
🔗 Next Pats: https://link.chtbl.com/nextpatspod

The official YouTube page of NBC Sports Boston. Home of the Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, and Bruins. We connect fans with the teams they love.