NO SURPRISE: Brad Stevens wins NBA Executive of the Year in landslide vote

Brad Stevens won NBA Executive of the Year in an overwhelming vote

It took Brad Stevens fewer than three years to become the best executive in basketball.

The Boston Celtics president of basketball operations has been named the 2023-24 NBA Executive of the Year, the league announced Tuesday. Stevens was the runaway winner for the award, receiving more than double the votes of the next-closest executive, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti.

Stevens was a slam-dunk choice for Executive of the Year. He made several bold moves last offseason — notably acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday via trade while shipping out Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon — that paid major dividends, helping the Celtics roll to their fourth-best season in franchise history (64-18) and the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed entering the playoffs.

Stevens made a surprising transition from head coach to executive in June 2021 and since then has helped transform the C’s into a perennial playoff contender. His acquisitions of Al Horford and Derrick White have been tremendous successes, and he’s also handed out contract extensions to several core players — Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard, with Jayson Tatum and White deals potentially coming this summer — to keep Boston’s talented roster intact.

Simply put, Stevens has set the Celtics up tremendously to end the team’s 16-year championship drought. Now, it’s on the roster to deliver.

Boston currently owns a 3-1 first-round series lead over the Miami Heat, with Game 5 set for Wednesday at TD Garden. NBC Sports Boston’s coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live, with Mike Gorman and Brian Scalabrine on the call at 7:30 p.m. ET.