Malcolm Brogdon reveals he chose to join Celtics over Raptors

Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was traded to the team from the Indiana Pacers this past offseason, and he recently revealed that he chose Boston over the Toronto Raptors.

“The opportunity came up for me to move on from the Pacers,” Brogdon said in an interview with SiriusXM NBA. “They worked with me great, allowing me to have a say in my transition, where I would go based on what the interest was.”

Brodgon, 29, explained that he had the Celtics, Raptors and Washington Wizards as potential destinations.

“At the end of the day, we knew there was Boston, we knew Toronto we knew D.C.,” Brogdon said of his trade options. “D.C. fell off after the draft since they were thinking about trading that 10th pick for me. Toronto and Boston popped up. We had a choice to pursue — there wasn’t an offer on the table yet from either of them but the Pacers came to me and said we could pursue either of them and which one would I rather pursue? I chose Boston.”

The Celtics and Raptors were both playoff teams in the 2021-22 season, but Boston made it all the way to the NBA Finals behind stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The Raptors, who dealt with injuries to Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. in the playoffs, were knocked out in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics’ postseason run last year played a factor in Brogdon’s decision to join the team.

“I thought this team was farther along,” Brogdon said of Boston. “They have a superstar in Jayson Tatum and probably another superstar in Jaylen Brown as well. I thought it would be a great fit for me because I wanted to win right now.”

The Celtics certainly are contenders entering the 2022-23 season, as they return most of their core from last season.

Brogdon dealt with injuries in the 2021-22 season and ended up playing in just 36 games. However, he played well when he was on the floor, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from beyond the arc.

He should provide the Celtics with improved shooting and playmaking in the 2022-23 season. Brodgon, Marcus Smart and Derrick White are all solid guard options for Boston.

It will be interesting to see how the Celtics and Raptors match up in the Eastern Conference this season, especially since both of them had their eyes on Brogdon in the trade market.