Brad Stevens, Danny Ainge

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, left, and new head coach Brad Stevens, right, back in 2013.

(AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

The Boston Celtics almost never had a chance to hire head coach Brad Stevens because he was heavily recruited a couple of months earlier by the Phoenix Suns.

While Doc Rivers was still technically the coach of the Celtics, the Suns made a run at Stevens to try luring him away from his previous job at Butler University. During an appearance on The Vertical Podcast with Adrian Wojnarowski, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough provided some details about his chase of Stevens and said the discussions advanced far enough to include a visit at the coach's house.

McDonough and the Suns owner, Robert Sarver, both made the trip to Carmel, Ind., to meet with Stevens and his wife Tracy.

"So yeah, we were at his kitchen table," McDonough explained on the podcast. "We were meeting with him about potentially coaching the Suns. Ultimately he decided at that time to stay at Butler, and then a month or two later he chose to go to the Celtics. But as far as how close it was or what his decision-making process was, you'd have to ask him about that. But we were sitting around his kitchen table discussing him potentially coaching the Suns in May of 2013."

Two months later, Rivers had departed to lead the Los Angeles Clippers and the Celtics issued a press release announcing Stevens would be the replacement. Phoenix hired Jeff Hornacek, who enjoyed a great first season before the rest of his tenure with the team grew rocky. He was fired before the All-Star break this season and later given another opportunity with the New York Knicks.

In another interesting layer to the story, McDonough actually worked in the Celtics front office for a decade under team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge before joining the Suns in 2013. The two basketball minds clearly shared a deep respect for Stevens and both recruited the same man.

"We thought we had a chance," McDonough said.

But the Suns couldn't quite close the deal and the Celtics later benefitted.