Kyrie Irving: Brad Stevens was a huge draw in coming to Boston

BOSTON — The Celtics were not the only party that had to give up something major in order to land Kyrie Irving from the Cavs. The All-Star point guard himself waived a 15 percent trade kicker on his 2017-18 salary (roughly $2.7 million) to ensure the deal went through to Boston as structured. What motivated Irving to be okay with saying goodbye to that significant chunk of change, other than getting away from LeBron James? It became clear quite quickly during Friday's introductory press conference at the TD Garden just how much of a factor playing for Brad Stevens had on the 25-year-old guard.

"Yeah, yeah." Irving replied when asked if the presence of Stevens helped draw him to Boston. "You got a smart individual that you can learn the game from and be taught at the same time while growing, who doesn’t want to be a part of that? That’s just something awesome, man, that I can share knowledge as well as gain knowledge at the same time, with not only the players but the coaching staff, and that starts with our head coach."

The common wisdom in NBA circles is that it's actually the players in place in a destination that matters the most when appealing to free agents and/or trade targets. While that notion is fair when you look at places like Golden State and San Antonio, it's becoming evident just how much of an advantage Stevens has developed into for the Celtics on the recruiting front. Last year, it was Al Horford. In July it was Gordon Hayward. Now, it's Irving. None of those guys come here without some talent in place already, but you can bet the presence of Stevens helped seal the deal in all such instances (whether it be a free agent signing or waiving a pricey trade kicker).

"Now I get to experience it firsthand," Irving said of Stevens' coaching, "Just how intelligent I've heard that he is as a coach, as well as his coaching staff. To understand how maniacal he is with the finite details of maximizing what you can with the players you have on the floor. Looking at it, scheme-wise, it's a pretty equitable offense in terms of what everyone's skillset is out on the floor. I picked that out in about two minutes that we were out in the game by the way they were running their plays. They were always two, three steps, or let me give him credit, four steps ahead because it's a constant wave in the game, an interchange. It could go up and it could go down.

"To understand those frequencies and understand how you exist and all that and get the maximum potential out of who you have on the floor, I mean that's Coach Stevens. That's just from an observer standpoint, so the appreciation I have for his knowledge of the game -- I just can't wait to steal some stuff -- and honestly learn and grow with a guy like that as well as the other coaches that he has that I can't wait to meet. It's an exciting time to have an outstanding coach like that."

Hayward also reflected on his experience with Stevens during the presser and how the relationship with the pair has evolved over the years.

"I think both of us have grown," Hayward explained. "For me, especially as a person and a basketball player. In college, your college coach is somewhat more like a father figure, you’re younger, you lean on them a lot. Now I’m a father and I have two little girls of my own and definitely just like Kyrie grew up in college. And I had great years there and learned what it takes to be a man and how to provide and protect your family and look out for them. You’re not just looking out for yourself any more. For me, just a lot of growing up, I think, as a person, as well as a basketball player. I always say that Coach Stevens was the first person -- I always had a dream to play in the NBA but he was the first person I think made me realize I could maybe get there one day. And so to be back and reunited with him again, I’m beyond excited and can’t wait to get to work."

While praise for Stevens in NBA media landscape has at times been overwhelming over the last few years, it's hard to argue with it now that one of Boston's best assets in the league remains its head coach.