Kemba Walker reportedly will make more than $140 million over the next four years, but the new Boston Celtics star doesn’t have to pick up the dinner tabs just yet.
Walker headlines a quartet of Celtics in Las Vegas for Team USA’s training camp for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. The strong C’s contingency is allowing Walker to get the lay of the land from his new teammates, as Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum also are in Sin City vying for a spot on Gregg Popovich’s club.
In addition to trying to earn a roster spot, the three Celtics veterans are taking the time to get to know their new teammate and answer any questions Walker might have about playing in Boston.
“It’s been great. Obviously, me, JB and Smart have a lot of chemistry, so now we’re trying to have Kemba and get him acclimated,” Tatum told reporters Tuesday in Vegas. “Dinner, things off the court, (those) are just as important, so we’re starting early this offseason.
“Whatever he asks, we tell him. We’ve got stories for days, how it is, how the city is, how going deep in the playoffs is. Just casual conversations, not always about the Celtics or the season, we just talk.”
The onboarding process likely takes on even greater importance this season after a disappointing 2018-19 campaign that was headlined for all the wrong reasons amid dysfunction among teammates — led by the Kyrie Irving fiasco.
“We can only be positive,” Brown said. “Last year, I can’t see it being any worse than that. Coming out, being positive is everybody’s mindset.”
Brown made it clear last year is in the rearview.
“I don’t really want to get into the logistics and talking about it,” he added. “It was dysfunctional, yes, but it’s over now.”
Walker obviously enjoys Tatum picking up the dinner checks, but he also appreciates the chance to get to pick his new teammates’ brains ahead of his debut season in Boston.
“Those guys are really cool to be around,” Walker told reporters. “They’re super down to earth, high character, so I love being around those guys, yeah. … Just regular teammate talk. I’m still the new guy, so I’m trying to figure out how these guys are.”
