The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have been competing against each other this preseason, but prior to that during the summer, they were apparently both fighting for Malcolm Brogdon as well.
In a Sirius XM interview, the new Celtics guard revealed that his former squad, the Indiana Pacers, let him have a say in where he was traded to. According to Brogdon, the Raptors were contending for him, and he considered them before ultimately ending up in Beantown.
When pressed as to why he chose Boston over Toronto, Brogdon gave an honest answer that placed winning over everything:
“I thought [Boston] was farther along. 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,” Brogdon shared.
Based on what Brogdon has said before about Boston's title hopes, it's not surprising that he has a lot of faith in his new squad:
“This Boston team is experienced and hungry to win a championship. I’m excited to be apart of the Boston family and compete for that Championship,” new Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon told @andscape @espn
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 1, 2022
Even going all the way back to 2019, it's clear that Brogdon believed the Celtics had something special with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown:
Malcolm Brogdon calls the #Celtics a "possible championship contender team" in his postgame interview with @tvabby pic.twitter.com/9QrEIIboCe
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 12, 2019
Heading into the 2022-23 NBA season, the 29-year-old and former Rookie of the Year could play a sixth-man role for the Celtics. This wouldn't be new ground for Brogdon, and regardless of whether he's starting or coming off the bench, he provides great defense and playmaking ability.
Already in preseason, Brogdon has shown flashes of what he can do with his passing:
Malcolm Brogdon with a dime 🪙
He has 5 assists thus far.pic.twitter.com/aihEOeNsUk
— Celtics Nation (@CelticsNationCP) October 2, 2022
NBA GMs think Brogdon made the right decision too in terms of where he was traded to. They voted his move to Boston as the most underrated player acquisition this offseason in the league's latest GM survey.
So with Malcolm Brogdon believing in the current Boston roster and the rest of the league thinking he's the missing piece the Celtics need, there is certainly a lot to love about this trade. If he can click with Boston's stars and prove to be an effective two-way player, another deep playoff run could be on the horizon for the Celtics.
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