Why Jayson Tatum preferred Suns to Celtics before 2017 NBA Draft

The Celtics were in a great spot heading into the 2017 NBA Draft, holding the No. 1 overall pick on the heels of a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals. With a rising star in head coach Brad Stevens and potential of cap space to add big names, any player added by the Celtics had the potential at the top of the draft had the plenty to be playing some pretty important games right away.

In the predraft process during 2017, Jayson Tatum saw the down side of the Cs situation for a rookie, however. He spoke about it in greater depth on Monday during an appearance on the “All the Smoke” podcast with former players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. The future All-Star saw all the talent on the wings in Boston and wondered how exactly he might fit in after the C's traded down with Philadelphia to the No. 3 overall pick.

“There was a part of me that didn’t want to go to Boston because they just were the No. 1 team in the East, they had Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Smart, [Jaylen Brown], Jae Crowder,” said Tatum. "I was like, ‘Man, I’m not going to play. I’m trying to get buckets.’

That mentality led to Tatum feeling some hesitancy when the Celtics asked him for a workout the week before the draft. The former Duke star had just spent a couple of days working out for Phoenix, who was armed with the No. 4 overall pick and was in need of a second option next to young guard Devin Booker. 

“This is a week before the draft, I went to Phoenix just to meet with Earl Watson and talk to the GM and see the facility,” said Tatum. "I didn’t work out, I just went to go meet with everybody. I went to dinner with Earl, I remember he picked me up, he had a white [Mercedes-Benz] G-[Class] wagon, he drove me around, he showed me all the houses where the players live at. I called my mom, I’m like, ‘Yo, I think I want to go to Phoenix.’ Earl Watson was like, ‘You come to Phoenix, you and D-Book, two light-skinned killers, I’m going to let y’all rock out.’ I’m sitting in the car I’m like, ‘Man this sounds good. Like, I think I want to come here.’”

When Tatum realized the Celtics were taking a strong look at him after dropping to No. 3 overall, he wondered if he might be better off skipping a workout with them to persuade them to look elsewhere.

"So I get back to my hotel [in Phoenix], I’m about to fly back home for like two days before I go to New York [for the draft] and my agent called me and he’s like, ‘Danny Ainge called and said they’re going to trade their [No. 1] pick, they’re going to go to 3 and they want you to come to Boston the next day to work out,’” Tatum said. "I’m like, ‘No, I don’t want to go to Boston. I like it out here in Phoenix. It’s cool. The weather is nice. I get a big house, I get a pool, my mom is going to be out here.’ [Tatum’s agent was] like, ‘Brad Stevens is a great young coach and they have a great history.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not trying to hear that. I want to go to Phoenix.’

"My agent was like, ‘Just think about it.’ So we hang up, I’m like, ‘I’m not going to this workout right now. I’m cool.’ But then Coach K called me right after my agent did and he was like, ‘Jayson, the Celtics called, they want you to come work out. I think Brad Stevens is a great coach and it’s a great place to be. You’ll learn a lot.’ So I’m like, ‘Ugh, all right. I’ll go.'"

Tatum proceeded to impress in his Boston workout and the rest is history.

“It worked out really well. I've really enjoyed being in Boston so far,” said Tatum. "Playing in the Garden is like no other place. The fans are amazing. Just looking up at the 17 championships that we have and all the great players that come before me. It’s crazy.”

The Celtics had already seen Tatum workout once in Los Angeles prior to the individual workout in the week so it's unlikely Tatum skipping a second workout request would have impacted his draft stock much. On the other hand, the Celtics were no stranger to dealing with players wanting to avoid Boston in that draft class. Kansas swingman Josh Jackson famously canceled a workout with Boston's brass in the week before the draft in California after the Celtics took a cross-country flight to see him. The ploy was an attempt by Jackson and his agent to get him to fall to the Suns at No. 4 past Boston, which ultimately occurred once draft night once the C's went with Tatum.

Jackson has ended up becoming the biggest bust to date for the 2017 draft class, as Phoenix shipped him to Memphis before last season even began in what was largely a salary dump. Jackson sent most of the season in the G-League before being promoted to the Grizzlies' bench late in the year. Meanwhile, Tatum has emerged as an All-Star over his three seasons in Boston.

To Ainge's credit, he identified the logjam being an issue on the wing in Boston after Tatum's arrival, which likely contributed to his trade of Jae Crowder as part of the Kyrie Irving trade package in 2017. That opened the door for the young forward to win a spot in the starting five during training camp that fall and emerge as one of the more promising young players in the league.

A couple of other notable takeaways from Tatum's appearance:

On Kyrie's departure to Brooklyn:  "His decision to go to Brooklyn, obviously, a lot of people were mad and things like that, but, us as basketball players, we understand once you get to a certain level and a certain point in your career you’ve earned the right to make the decision on what makes you happy and what you want to do. So, I was happy for him. He wanted to go back home and be closer to his family. I think everybody should have that opportunity."

On his relationship with Paul Pierce: “Just being able to talk to him and him giving me little insights and words of encouragement go a long way,” Tatum said. "Sometimes older players sometimes talk down on the new generation or stuff like that and it’s a good feeling when somebody like Paul Pierce welcomes you and tells you that you can be the next Celtic great.”

On whether he would have played in G-League for $500,000/year over Duke: “It’s tough because knowing what I know, I think I still might’ve went to Duke. But if you just rewind four years, and I’m 18 coming out a high school from St. Louis and there’s $500,000, I’m going right to the G League. Like, for sure...What I feel like they need to change in college, is I think you should be able to make money off your likeness. Like, if I was at Duke and I said, ‘Hey I want to host an autograph session on Saturday for three hours, $25 a signature. I think you should be able to do that.”