Former Terps Guard Steps into Front Office Role with Celtics
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The Boston Celtics added a former Maryland Terrapins star to their front office this week, hiring Drew Nicholas as the team’s new Executive Director of Player Personnel, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Nicholas joins the Celtics after serving as a scout with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2024-2025 season. Prior to his time in Brooklyn, he worked as the Director of Scouting for the Denver Nuggets. He earned an NBA championship with the team in 2023.
Congrats @DrewNicholas12! https://t.co/7QOqBuYvYV
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) July 21, 2025
He spent the 2021-22 season with the Celtics as a college and pro scout and previously held scouting roles with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Nicholas never played in the NBA but enjoyed a successful playing career overseas, leading the EuroLeague in scoring in 2006 and winning a pair of EuroLeague titles with the Greek club Panathinaikos in 2009 and 2011. Nicholas also won an NCAA title with Maryland in 2002.
In an interview with RealGM back in 2011, Nicholas gave his perspective on why he didn't make it to the NBA.
"Probably just because I was a little bit too short to be a shooting guard in the NBA. People didn’t think that I was a point guard (either)," he said.
"Thankfully, it’s been a blessing and I have no regrets about playing in the NBA now. Playing in Europe has been just great for the past eight years."
The Celtics' hire of Nicholas comes after the postseason departures of assistant general manager Austin Ainge, who joined his father Danny Ainge with the Utah Jazz earlier this summer, and director of scouting Remy Cofield.
Nicholas is in the envious position of rebuilding a recent NBA championship team that was eliminated by the New York Knicks in the second round the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
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