Jayson Tatum was a player the Cleveland Celtics sought in trade talks for Kyrie Irving, but he's glad he will have the opportunity to remain with the Boston Celtics.

"I was watching [the trade news] on TV and I saw breaking news come across, so it was just as much of a shock to me as all the other fans," said Tatum.

"I was just as surprised as everyone else [about the deal]. I saw my name come up and I didn't know if I was going to get traded. ... It's all new to me. I haven't played an NBA game yet; I just came from college. I don't know how to handle all the trade talks. I was just like, 'Wow,' [when I] saw my name come up."

Irving reached out to Tatum via text to express excitement about becoming teammates. 

Tatum and Irving, who share an agent, traveled to the Bahamas for a vacation earlier this month. 

"I'm pretty sure it will be a lot of fun," Tatum said. "[Irving is] a tremendous player. A superstar in this league."

The Celtics traded down to select Tatum in the June draft.