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Jayson Tatum, Paul George connection goes back to failed trade in 2017 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jayson Tatum has a new running mate.
Paul George, 36, is older than his new Boston running mate but will compliment Tatum as a shooter and a passer.
But these two may have never been teammates if a trade passed almost 10 years ago.
Jayson Tatum was almost traded for Paul George
The Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum in 2017 but it wasn't love at first sight.
Boston was very active at the trade deadline ahead of the draft and on draft night. They reportedly made several attempts at the trade deadline to acquire Paul George. The Celtics offered four (!!!) first-round draft picks for George, who at the time was on the Indiana Pacers.
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One of those first-round picks became No. 1 overall. The Celtics later traded that pick to the 76ers, moved down to No. 3, and selected Tatum.
Boston, who won the NBA title in 2024, would have drastically altered their future with a Paul George trade.
The Tatum-Jaylen Brown pairing would've never happened. Most of their future draft capital would've been gone.
MORE: Why Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to 76ers for Paul George
Would it have worked out with a PG, Gordon Hayward, and Kyrie Irving big three? Back in 2017 that was a formidable lineup but hindsight says that trio might've fallen short.
It's all hypothetical. The only truth is that Boston was able to win it all behind Tatum, Brown, and a great supporting cast.
That only happens in this timeline. Still, it's fun to think about how Tatum and George, now teammates, were almost trade pieces for one another.
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