Rookie Jayson Tatum asked his agent for a trade after Celtics signed 6-foot-7 forward in $128M deal
Jayson Tatum dreamed of playing for the LA Lakers to follow in the footsteps of his boyhood idol, the late Kobe Bryant. However, the Lakers, who had the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, weren’t interested in him. LA’s decision to get former UCLA star Lonzo Ball allowed the Boston Celtics to grab Tatum.
Despite going to the Lakers’ biggest rivals, Tatum was excited to play for one of the most storied franchises in the NBA. The former Duke star, however, panicked when the Celtics made headlines in free agency.
On the latest episode of Jeff Teague's podcast, “Club 520 Podcast”, released Monday, Tatum recalled:
“I get drafted [and] Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics. I called my agent, ‘Yo, I gotta get traded.’ He like, ‘Relax, wait it out.’ ... I’m trying to play. I didn’t get drafted to come off the bench and not start. He was like, ‘Yo, you are in a great organization. They gonna teach you how to play the right way.’”
The Boston Celtics were coming off a loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 playoffs. Former Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge promptly retooled in the offseason. He drafted Jayson Tatum and then acquired Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in free agency.
Hayward, a small forward, had an All-Star season with the Utah Jazz before taking his talents to Boston. Ainge gave him a four-year, $128 million contract. Then, Celtics coach Brad Stevens erased Tatum's fears by starting him with Hayward, Irving, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford to open the 2017-18 season.
Gordon Hayward’s first season with the Celtics ended after just five minutes. He suffered a gruesome ankle injury that eventually changed the trajectory of his career. Hayward was never the same again after dislocating his ankle and fracturing his left tibia.
Jayson Tatum grabbed a stranglehold of the small forward spot and has started every game for the Celtics.
Boston Celtics were the biggest winners of the 2017 NBA draft by getting Jayson Tatum
The Boston Celtics had the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. Markelle Fultz was the top prospect in most mock drafts. A few teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and the LA Lakers, were interested in getting the point guard out of Washington.
Danny Ainge decided to take Philly’s offer, which was the No. 3 pick in 2017 and a 2019 first-round pick. Fultz went to the 76ers, Lonzo Ball headed for Hollywood, and Ainge got the player he coveted.
Jayson Tatum has become a perennial MVP candidate and helped the Boston Celtics win the 2024 NBA championship. No other player in his draft class is as accomplished as him.