Malcolm Brogdon Thought He Was Headed to Wizards Before Celtics Traded for Him

Malcolm Brogdon averaged 19.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds last season.

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A few hours after reports surfaced that Danilo Gallinari is taking his talents to Boston, a signing that became official on Sunday, the Celtics swung for the fences, acquiring Malcolm Brogdon without trading anyone from their playoff rotation. The move propelled them to betting favorites to win the 2023 NBA title.

With the Pacers embracing a youth movement and Brogdon on an expiring $22.6 million contract, it was clear the veteran point guard's time in Indiana was coming to an end. However, when the former Rookie of the Year surveyed the NBA landscape and considered what might be his most realistic landing spots, Boston, fresh off a Finals run, didn't seem likely.

"I’ve heard a lot of people say I’d be the perfect fit there, that they needed a guy like me with my skillset, but Boston wasn’t one of the teams that showed interest early on," Brogdon conveyed on the Woj Pod Monday. "There were a host of five or six other teams that were consistent (in showing interest). Boston was not one of the teams."

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Instead, with the Wizards searching for a veteran point guard to pair with Bradley Beal, Brogdon thought he'd end up in the nation's capital.

"I thought it was going to be Washington. I heard the Pacers loved the idea of having that 10th pick and two picks in the lottery, and I knew Washington needed a good veteran point guard to pair with Bradley Beal. I knew I fit his timeline and knew that everything fit. I’m basically homegrown in DC, lot of roots with University of Virginia, family there. It would have been a little too perfect.

"As we got closer to the draft that day, my agent called and said, 'It’s probably not going to happen, Washington looks like they are going in a different direction and use that 10th pick and not trade it.' By the time we got to the draft that night, I realized I was not going to go to Washington, which wasn’t crushing. It was a change of mindset."

As the Celtics scoured the NBA for players who fit into their $17.1 million trade exception, they realized how difficult it was to find a target who checked that box they could realistically acquire to make their most significant splash of the summer.

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That led them to the Pacers to find out what it would take to trade for Brogdon, who seems like an ideal fit.

Brogdon said the day before getting traded, "Brad Stevens had called the Pacers and called my agent and had expressed a lot of interest that we had no clue was there the day before. We were in serious talks that day. By the time it got to 12 o’clock at night before I went to bed, the deal was going to be done at any minute and it happened the next morning."

While Indiana expressed interest in acquiring Grant Williams, Boston sacrificed next year's first-round pick to keep him out of the deal. It's the third-straight Celtics' first-round pick Brad Stevens traded since succeeding Danny Ainge as the team's president of basketball operations. Boston also included former lottery pick Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas.

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As one chapter of Brogdon's NBA journey ends and another begins, he expressed, "At the end of the day, it’s a business. They made the best decisions for themselves, and they sent me to a contender, and I’m excited about my opportunity with Boston."

The Celtics will officially introduce Brogdon later this week.

Further Reading

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With Thomas Bryant Off the Board, Here's Who the Celtics Might Add at Center

Celtics Announce Summer League Roster

Celtics Retain Sam Hauser, Addressing Their Need for Another Layer of Forward Depth

Celtics Address Multiple Needs with Malcolm Brogdon Trade

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