There has been growing speculation that Malcolm Brodgon was angry at Boston because they tried to trade him, but one NBA insider believes the veteran guard is upset for a different reason.
The 30-year-old suffered a partial tendon tear in his right elbow at the back end of last season and ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne says the way the team handled it caused some animosity between Brodgon and the C’s.
“I don’t think the bad feelings are over including him in any trade discussions,” Shelburne said on NBA Today. “He’s a pro. He knows this stuff happens; he understood why those discussions are happening. If anything, there’s an expectation those discussions might restart.
“Any time your name is out there, it’s a little uncomfortable. I think a lot of this has to do with what’s going on with his elbow. He had that golfer’s elbow during the playoffs. There was some sense he might need to get surgery on it, and he did not do that. There is a question of when he might be available (and) how he’s available; this is what you are going to pay Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens big money for. You have to mend some fences here. He’s on the team, and I don’t think those trade talks restart anytime soon.”
There hasn’t been much communication between Brogdon and the team very in the offseason, Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg explains.
“I think what it is is that there hasn’t been a lot of talk from either side,” Forsberg said. “We haven’t heard from the Celtics, we haven’t heard from Malcolm Brogdon’s camp, and I think that’s just led to a bit of speculation.”
But he also doesn’t think this is cause for alarm.
While almost the entire C’s roster is in Boston working out, Brogdon is yet to join them.
“He does his workouts, usually in Atlanta, he goes overseas and does a bunch of community stuff; we don’t see a lot of Malcolm Brogdon in the offseason,” Forsberg said.
“I don’t think there’s been any shift — there’s nothing new about this. We’re left to wonder if ‘Oh! Is he a little mad he’s last guy to roll into town (for training camp)?'”
Training camp begins on October 2, so things are set to become clearer then.