From the press conference today:
“This is everything I’ve wanted,” Brogdon said. “To be able to get back to this level, to be able to compete with guys that want to win a championship and that are all in, that want to sacrifice to win. So it’s very fortuitous for me to be here and I think it’s the perfect time for me.”
Brown and Brogdon work together as vice presidents with the Players Association, but Brown’s activism really drew Brogdon’s attention — Brown led a march in Atlanta as part of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, and Brogdon wanted to be a part of it.
“That’s when I really got to know pretty well and sort of realized what he’s really about,” Brogdon said. “For him, it’s bigger than basketball, it’s about life. It’s about being an activist. It’s about being a good person. So always been a big fan of his and I’m really excited to play with him.”
Brogdon is ready to work with Marcus Smart.
“I think Marcus is one of the biggest winners that we’ve seen in this league,” Brogdon said. “I think that’s why Boston loves him, and the organization loves him. You can’t put your finger on what it is about him, but he’s a winner. …
“I really think he and I will play well together. We have different skill sets, but we both want to win so bad it doesn’t matter. All of the other stuff is distraction and noise. We’re going to come together and make this thing work.”
Gallinari, meanwhile, grew up a Celtics fan and studied Larry Bird’s game when he was a kid. Joining the team he cheered for as a child and simultaneously competing for a championship was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up, even for a little bit more money.
“When the Celtics came on the table it was almost like a no-brainer,” Gallinari said. “You walk even in this facility, you look around and see what’s going on around the banners and the history and everything the Celtics were about, it was an easy choice.”
Both Tatum and Brown reached out to the new additions when it became clear they were headed to Boston.
“You don’t see a lot of players, a lot of great players like them that’s young but they already have a lot of experience,” Gallinari said. “So, of course when you look at a team, one of the reasons why I came here is them. So I talked to them already. I’m excited and we’re all here working for them, working for the team, to make sure that we all succeed.”
Stevens suggested the Celtics might still make one more addition at center, while complimenting Luke Kornet. If the roster stood as currently constructed, Kornet would be the team’s back-up.
“We’ll probably add one more person that can play in that area,” Stevens said. “But we’re really believing in Luke as not only depth — he can obviously fill out the roster — but also be ready to help us and help us win. I think he’s at that stage where he can do that.
“But we’re still looking, and we’ll still add at least one more body at that, whatever we call the five position nowadays.”
“Obviously, we have not only a trade exception now, but trade exceptions that we can use again towards the trade deadline,” Stevens said. “And that’s all about just finding the right deal. If it’s the right trade to be made, we have the green light to do that.”
