\u201cWe don\u2019t got to get into the exact details of how it went down, but about an hour after the trade I got a phone call saying he wanted the number, so me and him were able to work it out,\u201d Harper said Tuesday, smiling. \u201cWe\u2019ll have some funny conversations about that, for sure. But I\u2019m happy he\u2019s able to get back to his number and get back to being PG-13, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
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It was Harper\u2019s first number negotiation, and he said with a chuckle that it \u201cbenefits both parties.\u201d He will switch to No. 8, in honor of his favorite player, Kobe Bryant.<\/p>\n
Brown had become a mentor for Harper, and Harper said he was sad to see him go. But he also is eager to team up with George, and not just because the nine-time All-Star appears to have compensated him for his jersey number.<\/p>\n
Harper, 26, said that George was the favorite player of his younger brother Dylan, the Spurs\u2019 rising star, so when they were children, they frequently watched his Pacers games.<\/p>\n
George also was Harper\u2019s opponent during perhaps the biggest game of his career.<\/p>\n
Harper earned a two-way contract before the start of last season and had it converted into a standard NBA deal in April. He became a rotation player, but his opportunities tended to come in blowouts or when the Celtics were significantly shorthanded.<\/p>\n
Then on May 2, before Game 7 of the first-round playoff series against the 76ers, Harper arrived at TD Garden and was told by assistant coach Da\u2019Sean Butler that he would start the game. Harper had started just three games during the regular season.<\/p>\n
His stint lasted just four minutes, and the Celtics quickly fell behind, 11-4. Boston, which was without injured forward Jayson Tatum, went on to lose the game and the series, becoming the first team in franchise history to cough up a 3-1 lead.<\/p>\n
But coach Joe Mazzulla\u2019s vote of confidence in that essential matchup was not lost on Harper.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt shows that they believe in me at the highest level with it all on the line. So, it\u2019s just replicating that trust back to them, that I trust in them and their plan for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Celtics\u2019 plan for Harper became even more evident about two months later, when they signed him to the three-year deal. Now, for the first time as a pro, he enters an NBA season with stability and a guaranteed deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really grateful for the opportunity and that they believe in me and want me here long term,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just motivation to keep getting better and keep proving them right, so that\u2019s something I look forward to doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach<\/a>.<\/p>\n