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“I thought about MJ passing to Kerr. I wanted to add that to my legacy.”
Those were words uttered by Evan Turner – who revitalized his career under Brad Stevens – after passing off a game-winning shot to Jae Crowder during a 2015 regular season win against Turner’s old team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
After struggling with high expectations as the No. 2 pick by the 76ers in the 2010 draft (one pick behind John Wall), Turner seemingly bottomed out after a midseason trade in 2014 to Indiana fell far short of expectations.
The connection between the Celtics and Turner would end up being beneficial for both sides, as the Celtics utilized Turner’s on-ball skills and ability to create shots for himself and others, while Turner capitalized on the opportunity – as well as an increased salary cap – to net himself a $70 million deal from the Portland Trail Blazers in the summer of ’16.
I’m unaware if Turner has blessed Trail Blazer media members with the quality of material he provided while in Boston, but if he has, the city of Portland has something special on their hands.