Tatum’s agent didn’t need him to go to Lakers

Celtics

“His agent didn’t need us to be both, as a result of he didn’t need him to finish up with the Lakers.”

Jayson Tatum has change into a famous person throughout his eight seasons with the Celtics – profitable a 2024 NBA title in only a few weeks earlier than signing probably the most profitable contract in NBA historical past.

Touchdown Boston with the third general decide within the 2017 NBA Draft was a stroke of luck for Tatum, particularly with the Celtics initially giving up the primary general decide in a commerce deal franchise with the 76ers.

However regardless that issues went nicely for Tatum in Boston, the longtime Kobe Bryant fan admitted he initially wished to play for the Los Angeles Lakers rising up.

In a current interview on the Membership 520 podcast, Tatum admitted his superb draft vacation spot was Los Angeles – which held the second decide within the 2017 NBA Draft.

“For me, I grew up as a Kobe fan,” Tatum mentioned. “I all the time wished to play for the Lakers. For them to have the No. 2 decide and it was like they did not even assume I used to be going to be drafted, it was fairly devastating so I by no means labored out for the Lakers. They by no means got here to see me prepare.

The Celtics had no qualms with the Lakers passing on Tatum within the 2017 NBA Draft.

However in line with Basketball Corridor of Famer and former Lakers supervisor Magic Johnson, it wasn’t the Lakers’ determination to not attend Tatum’s exercises earlier than the draft.

“I’m proud of what occurred for Jayson – as a result of he’s been unbelievable with the Celtics…I wished to handle that and let him know that sure, we checked out him. However his agent did not need us to resolve it both, as a result of he did not need him to finish up with the Lakers,” Johnson mentioned in an interview with SiriusXM. “As a result of we have already got lots of attackers, and that’s why they wouldn’t work for us.

“See, I used to be there – so I can inform Jayson what actually occurred. His agent did not need him to coach for us as a result of he knew it wasn’t scenario. In any case, we already had too many attackers.

Los Angeles opted to take a degree guard in Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 decide, with the Lakers filling a necessity after taking forwards Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram with every of their first-round picks in 2014 and 2016.

“We checked out it. … However the issue was that we had lots of attackers,” Johnson added. “I could not take him as a result of we had Brandon Ingram, who was solely in his second yr, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. So I already had too many forwards.

“There [were] already having issues, as a result of all of them wished to play, proper? And so if I took one other one, we might by no means see this Tatum if he ended up with the Lakers, as a result of he would have been sitting on this bench… So I am simply comfortable that we would have liked a degree guard at this that second, and that is why we took Lonzo Ball and we did not want the locker room to have issues with one other younger striker.

Although issues went nicely between Tatum and the Celtics, he additionally initially discovered himself in an deadlock with Boston in 2017 – particularly after the Celtics signed ahead Gordon Hayward to a four-year contract throughout the identical offseason.

“I acquired drafted and Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics,” Tatum mentioned on Membership 520. “I referred to as my agent and mentioned, ‘yo, I’ve to be traded.’ I’m within the Summer season League earlier than even enjoying a sport like ‘yo’ He says ‘simply calm down’.

Issues labored out for Tatum in brief order, with a season-ending harm to Hayward in Boston’s season opener paving the way in which for heavy minutes up entrance for the rookie.

Conor Ryan is a author overlaying the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Pink Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.