Now that the dust is starting to settle for the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum is feeling exhilarated.
The Celtics star said he's "excited" about the roster shakeup the team underwent Thursday.
Boston acquired Daniel Theis from the Rockets, Derrick White from the Spurs and a future NBA draft pick from the Magic. The Celtics sent P.J. Dozier and Bol Bol to Orlando, Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a draft pick to San Antonio, and Dennis Schröder, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando to Houston before the NBA trade deadline. Tatum felt contrasting emotions over the flurry of deals.
"You hate to see teammates go now that you've gotten close with them and built a relationship, but you're excited to see new teammates come in," he said at a press conference, per The Athletic's Jared Weiss.
Tatum is particularly excited to reunite with Theis, who was his Celtics teammate between 2018 and 2021.
"I'm very happy to have Theis back," Tatum said, per Weiss. "I think when people leave the Celtics, the door is always open for them."
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Friday he's unsure when Theis and White will debut for the team, according to NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg. Chances are neither will play Friday at TD Garden when the Celtics host the Denver Nuggets.
For now, Tatum must be content with the idea of what might be, instead of learning quickly what the new-look squad actually can do.
