The Boston Celtics have had a busy offseason. The Eastern Conference finalists have acquired two new All-Stars. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday both joined the franchise via trade this summer. Boston will pair Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with their two new recruits.
The Celtics added Holiday after he was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Damian Lillard trade. However, earlier this summer, Jayson Tatum had been trying to pitch Lillard on a potential move to the Celtics. When speaking on 98.5 Toucher and Rich, Tatum revealed how those conversations went.
“Told him Boston would love to have you if he ever considered it,” Tatum said. “… I wasn’t trying to change his mind,” he said. “When someone has their mind made up, you have to respect it. We talk on FaceTime from time to time, so every once in a while, I would tell him Boston is a great place if you didn’t know.”
Throughout Tatum’s tenure with the Celtics, he has played alongside numerous offensive-minded point guards. None of those rosters achieved success. With Jaylen Brown also in the rotation, there aren’t enough touches to go around.
That’s why Derrick White and Marcus Smart have succeeded as Boston’s starting guards. Finding ways to get Lillard, Tatum, Brown and Porzingis involved in the offense would be almost impossible.
As the face of the Celtics, it’s Tatum’s job to try and recruit elite talent to Boston. Who wouldn’t want to play with one of the best guards in the NBA? However, Holiday is a much better fit for what Boston is trying to achieve.
Still, Celtics fans should be encouraged by Tatum’s commitment to bring a championship back to Boston, regardless of what it takes to do so.
