After the Boston Celtics traded down to the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, many thought the C’s would use their top selection on Josh Jackson.
The former Kansas guard was touted as one of the best two-way players in the draft with a very high ceiling. The Celtics certainly had interest in Jackson, and a few team officials, including Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens, flew out to Sacramento to meet with the 20-year-old days before the draft.
That workout never took place, though, as Jackson canceled citing “logistics.” Ainge didn’t seem to be bothered with Jackson’s disinterest with the Celtics, but the team’s president of basketball operations wasn’t too thrilled with flying across the country for nothing.
Boston ended up taking former Duke forward Jayson Tatum at No. 3, while Jackson was selected by the Phoenix Suns just one pick later at No. 4. The Suns, obviously, were thrilled to draft Jackson, and it appears they might have had a hand in swaying him away from Boston.
Phoenix general manager Ryan McDonough, who spent 10 years working in the Celtics organization, spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday about his team’s top draft pick, and his response to how the Suns wound up with Jackson was cryptic, to say the least.
“You guys know my connection to the Boston Celtics and the respect I have for Danny Ainge, but you guys also know how competitive I am and it is a competition,” McDonough told the AP. “The process is what it is and we played by the rules, I guess. I’m just thrilled Josh Jackson is sitting next to me and is a member of the Phoenix Suns.”
We doubt there are any hard feelings between the two teams, as Phoenix got their man and Ainge acknowledged the Celtics still would have taken Tatum even if they had had the No. 1 pick.
So even if the Suns had something to do with Jackson skipping his workout with Boston, it sounds like it was an unnecessary effort on their part.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
