Not long after the Boston Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum out of Duke University with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the team went out and signed Gordon Hayward in free agency to a four-year, $128 million deal.
When the Celtics signed Hayward, he was one of the better forwards in the NBA. He was fresh off a season in which he earned an All-Star nod and led the Utah Jazz to the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
So, in light of the Celtics’ decision to ink Hayward to a massive deal, Tatum admitted that he was worried Hayward would limit his playing time in Boston. He even revealed that he wanted to get traded out of the storied organization. However, his agent told him that it would be beneficial for Tatum’s development to remain in Boston.
“And then, I get drafted — 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 play a game — like, ‘Yo.’ He like, ‘Relax — just wait it out.’ Basically, he’s like, ‘You gotta chill.’ I’m like, ‘Yo, I’m tryna play. I want — I didn’t get drafted to come off the bench and not start.’ He was like, ‘Yo, just — you in a great organization. They gon’ teach you how to play the right way.'”
Tatum’s concerns about coming off the bench in his rookie campaign were seemingly all for naught, as he started every one of the 80 games he played for Boston in the 2017-18 regular season.
Hayward also certainly didn’t cut into Tatum’s playing time in his first NBA season. In Hayward’s regular-season debut as a Celtic, he fractured his ankle against the Cleveland Cavaliers and subsequently had to sit out the remainder of the campaign.
Tatum quickly established himself as one of the top young players in the NBA. He finished third in the league’s Rookie of the Year voting after he averaged 13.9 points while 43.4 percent shooting from 3-point range. He also chipped in 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest.
He then played at an even higher level in the 2018 NBA Playoffs. Tatum averaged a team-high 18.5 points per game in 19 playoff games with Boston and nearly led the Celtics to an appearance in the NBA Finals. The Celtics lost to LeBron James and the Cavs in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals after the team held a 3-2 series lead.
Tatum was ostensibly right to heed his agent’s advice and stay with Boston, as he’s molded into one of the top talents in the league with the Celtics. He won his first NBA title in 2024.
