Jayson Tatum reflects on early frustrations with the Celtics, considering a trade before a pivotal injury opened doors to his breakout success.

Jayson Tatum is on track to become a Boston Celtics legend. He's already proven himself to be a top-five or top-seven player in the NBA and helped lead the franchise to its first championship in 16 years. At just 26 years old, Tatum's resume is bound to keep growing, with a spot among the greats firmly up for grabs.

Jayson Tatum told ex-Celtics teammate Jeff Teague that he almost requested a trade during his rookie season. Despite being drafted No. 3 overall, Tatum had concerns about playing time. Boston had signed Gordon Hayward to a 4-year deal worth up to $128 million.

Shortly after the Boston Celtics drafted forward Jayson Tatum No. 3 overall out of Duke in the 2017 NBA Draft, they signed forward All-Star Gordon Hayward to a four-year, $128 million contract. The signing made Tatum question if he would get the chance to start or have a role on the team.

I always wanted to play for the Lakers," Tatum said on the Club 520 podcast. "For [the Lakers] to have the No. 2 pick, and it wasn't ev

Jayson Tatum was worried about his playing time after the Celtics signed Gordon Hayward in 2017. But his agent told him the Celtics were going to "teach him to play the right way."

Jun 13, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the third quarter in game five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center.