Danny Ainge was annoyed by Josh Jackson’s snub, but that’s not why the Celtics didn’t draft him
Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said the team would’ve picked Duke forward Jayson Tatum even before they traded down in the NBA draft from No. 1 to No. 3.
That said, Kansas forward Josh Jackson probably didn’t do himself any favors with his last-minute cancellation of a scheduled workout with Ainge and others from the Celtics organization in Sacramento.
Jackson ended up getting drafted right behind Tatum, at No. 4 overall by the Phoenix Suns.
“Never talked with Josh. No one in our organization did,” Ainge said after the draft on Thursday night. “They canceled a workout on us when we flew out to Sacramento, and they just decided to cancel it as we flew. ...
“So there was something that he didn’t want to play for the Celtics. In spite of that, we’ve watched Josh for two years and we’re fans. He’s a terrific kid and a good player. So we tried not to overreact to those kinds of things and make a big deal of it.”
He added: “Yeah, I was mad. We flew cross-country. Are you kidding me? I had to get up at 4 o’clock and fly back home.”
In a separate interview, Jackson said he regretted “maybe a little bit” not working out for the Celtics, but quickly added he was “happy, glad to be a Phoenix Sun.”
Twitter: @chewkiii
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