Jayson Tatum recalls the time he almost asked the Celtics to trade him
"And then, I get drafted, and Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics. I called my agent like 'yo, I gotta get traded'."
During a recent episode of the Club 520 podcast, Jayson Tatum told ex-Celtics teammate Jeff Teague that he almost requested a trade during his rookie season.
Despite being drafted No. 3 overall, Tatum had concerns about playing time.
Boston had signed Gordon Hayward to a 4-year deal worth up to $128 million. Hayward starred for then-coach Brad Stevens at Butler and played small forward, the same position as Tatum.
The Celtics had drafted another wing, Jaylen Brown, with the No. 3 overall pick the year before.
“And then, I get drafted, and Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics,” Tatum said. “I called my agent like ‘yo, I gotta get traded’. I’m in Summer League before I ever played a game like ‘yo’. He’s like ‘relax. Just wait it out.’ Basically, he’s like ‘you gotta chill.'”
“Yo, I’m trying to play,” Tatum added. “I didn’t get drafted to come off the bench and not start. He was like ‘yo you’re in a great organization, they’re going to teach you how to play the right way.'”
Eight years later, Tatum is fresh off of winning his first championship with the Celtics. He signed a 5-year, $314 “Supermax” contract extension that will keep him under contract through 2029, with a player option for the 2030 season.
Tatum said his time with the Celtics has played out well. He also reflected on his initial desire to play for the Lakers, who never brought him in for a pre-draft workout.
“For me, I grew up a Kobe fan,” Tatum said. “I always wanted to play for the Lakers. For them to have the No. 2 pick and it was like it wasn’t even a thought that I was going to get drafted, that was kind of devastating so I never worked out for the Lakers. They never came to watch me work out.”
The Lakers were set on taking Lonzo Ball, who starred at nearby UCLA and Chino Hills. With the Lakers’ minds made up, Tatum set his sights on the Phoenix Suns.
“I wanted to go to Phoenix. Phoenix had the 4th pick, Earl Watson was the coach. I went out there, I was looking at houses, the weather was nice. They had a young team. I was like man, I’m going to get to play. Then, I remember Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] was like ‘Boston wants to have you for a second workout, you should go.'”
Tatum said an unnamed Celtics executive had told him that they probably weren’t going to draft him during a previous workout. They later decided to bring Tatum in for another workout. Krzyzewski helped talk Tatum into attending, saying that Stevens was one of the best coaches in the league.
Boston ultimately traded the No. 1 overall pick to Philadelphia. The 76ers took Markelle Fultz, the Lakers took Ball, and Boston used the No. 3 pick to take Tatum.
“The rest was history, and it all worked out,” said Tatum.
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