Robb: Despite Trade, Brandan Wright Enjoyed Brief Stay with Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) – Brandan Wright had just moved into a new apartment in Boston when more trade news came down Friday evening. After just three weeks with the Celtics, the big man would be changing NBA addresses yet again.
The Phoenix Suns acquired the 27-year-old forward/center on Friday night in exchange for a 2015 conditional first-round pick. The Celtics also received a $5 million dollar trade exception in the deal.
Wright came to Boston, along with Jameer Nelson and Jae Crowder in exchange for Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo back on Dec. 18. Wright had played his prior three seasons with one franchise, so moving to his third team in three weeks isn't exactly an ideal situation, but he's not going to moan about it.
"It's tough but you can't make excuses," Wright said of the trade Friday night in Indiana. "Things like this happen all the time. We take it day-by-day. I have to get familiar with a new team, new coaching staff, move again, that's probably the worst part. Can't complain about moving too much, though, into some nice sun."
Wright averaged a paltry 10.8 minutes per game in eight appearances for the Celtics over the past few weeks. A crowded frontcourt and a cheap expiring contract made him an expendable piece for Danny Ainge in the midst of the team's rebuild. Wright knew that when he arrived in town, so he wasn't shocked by the deal.
"This team is not complete yet," said Wright. "It's in transition mode, building for the future. The front office is trying to acquire picks and acquire guys and find that right mix. Young coach, young team, but it's a young team trying to get back on the map, so I knew there was a possibility I could be moved again."
Despite the brief stay in green, Wright holds no hard feelings towards the Celtics organization. Instead, the big man raved about the team's coaching staff following the deal.
"I really appreciated working with [Coach Stevens] for the time I've been here. He's a great guy. Heck of a coach. He has this thing going in the right direction. He treated me with class the entire time. I enjoyed the short stint working with him," Wright said.
Wright also seemed grateful to be sent to the Western Conference, where he'll have a chance to carve out a major role on a playoff contender in Phoenix.
"They are a very good offense," Wright explained. "I think I'm the perfect player to fit what they do, and I think that's the reason why [the Suns] made this deal. They spread the floor, use their bigs to roll to the rim. They need guys to finish at the rim and I think I can really take the offense over the top. I think I can make them very dangerous."
Dangerous is not something the Celtics roster is right now in the Eastern Conference. With a core of Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, and co. Wright believes there is hope for Boston's future.
"I think those guys are developing," Wright said. "A few years from now, I think this team could really do some damage in the Eastern Conference and I think that's what the goal is. They have to get some pieces here and there to compliment those guys, but this team is definitely building for the future and I think Danny [Ainge] has it going in the right direction."
Ainge will have to spend the next couple offseasons trying to prove Wright is right.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
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