Havlicek Stole the Pod NBA Basketball Podcast

Under the current NBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA), what a contender looks like has started to change – and how contenders play in the postseason as well. As the Boston Celtics begin the process of shifting their team from a contender under the former regime to the present one, fans of the team might be expecting moves that may never come to pass.

To be clearer, the days of spending deep into the tax for multiple seasons as franchises pile on talent to a talented core are likely gone for the foreseeable future. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks have instead leaned into depth and flexibility in ways it looks like the Celtics could already be emulating. What does this look like in practice? How will the way the players play and the coaches coach change? And how are we seeing current contenders like the Spurs and Knicks play out this new model of contention in the 2026 NBA Finals?

To get a better idea of what this might look like in practice, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with cohost of the "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone, to break down what we're seeing unfold, and what we think might be coming. We also get caught up on the news still emerging this deep int a longer-than-usual offseason, so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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New England is the home of basketball excellence, whether we are talking at the NBA level with the Boston Celtics, or at the college level with the University of Connecticut. And Huskies beat writer Dave Borges just wrote a book tracing the history of the latter, including several key junctures where UConn and the Celtics share history.

Focused on the rise and continued success of the Huskies in "UConn Men's Basketball: An Illustrated Timeline," Borges joined the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" to talk all things New England sports, but mostly his new book and the two ball clubs' entangled history. We also talk about potential future entanglements with an assessment of how 2026 NBA Draft prospects Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed might fit with Boston, how Stephon Castle is exceeding expectations with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, and more.

We also get caught up on all the trade rumbles, finals action, coaching searches and the rest of the Celtics and NBA news, so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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With the Boston Celtics out of the 2026 NBA postseason, attention turns to building the roster of the future for fans and executives of the team alike. So with that in mind, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Motor City Hoops and Game Theory analyst Bryce Simon to talk through what prospects the Celtics ought to be working out.

With the Nos. 27 and 40 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and company have a lot of directions they could go in for this draft, from taking the picks where they are slated to trading up, down, or out of this year's draft. We also touch on how Boston and the Detroit Pistons have had similar ends to great regular seasons, how they might approach their offseasons differently, and whether there might be a deal to be made between these East ball clubs.

We also get caught up on what little news is still trickling out, so be sure to tune in!

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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With the Boston Celtics now in their offseason after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs, retooling the roster is a given. But in the meantime, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are locked in a battle for the ages that is giving 28 other front offices pause when it comes to building a competitive contender.

And we can and should include Boston and Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens in that camp, meaning teams that want to compete for titles will need a roster able to counter the buzzsaw that is the Thunder AND the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs behemoth arising out of the West. To get a better idea of how OKC and San Antonio might be looking at the future (and the series mentioned above, yikes), the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Thunder Wire editor and OKC beat writer Clemente Almanza.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about what the Celtics and the rest of the NBA need to consider when building contenders, just how worried we ought to be about Wemby, and more.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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What might the Boston Celtics offseason moves look like? The Celtics are all but assured to make some significant changes to the roster they used in the 2025-26 NBA regular season. After Boston President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens effectively said as much in his end-of-season press conference in the wake of an unceremonious first-round exit at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, and there is good reason to believe him.

Whether we think that means trading a core player like Jaylen Brown or Derrick White likely has as much to do with whether you think the return they could get is better than the core they have now. But splashier moves are always tougher to pull off in a way to a team's advantage, and Stevens has shown he tends to make consistent smaller- and medium-sized moves in place of home-run attempts. So what does all this tell us about what to expect this summer?

To try to get an answer, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with HoopsHype's Cyro Asseo as we take a deep dive into a range of possibilities for Boston this offseason. Check it out below!

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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