Gordon Hayward of the Boston Celtics becomes a free agent in the summer, and most are starting to give their speculations on what lies ahead. The easy option for the 29-year-old forward is to pick up his player option, which would pay him $34.187 million. But there are other scenarios NBA critics see happening.
Seeing how Hayward is having a good NBA season, there is a chance that the 6-foot-7 forward may want a fresh deal. It could be similar to the path that former teammate Al Horford chose, which most know by now saw him ending up with the Philadelphia 76ers. He settled for a four-year $97 million deal with Philly.
For Hayward, it may not be that easy to do the same. The fact is that aside from the current NBA season, he hardly got himself off the ground. Most know how he started out on the wrong foot, suffering a season-ending injury back in 2017. He struggled last season and was only able to get things going this 2019-20 season.
In 36 games this season, Hayward has averaged 17.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists according to Basketball-Reference.com. These are career-best numbers for the NBA All-Star, something that could support the notion that he will be looking for a lucrative long-term deal with the Celtics this summer.
According to Brian Robb of Boston Sports Journal, the Celtics are pretty interested in a long-term deal with Hayward. This is regardless if he picks up his player option or not. But what if some other team offers him a better package? What if there is a chance for him to join a team that has higher chances of winning an NBA title?
Hayward knows he has options, but it appears staying in Bean Town holds higher chances. He is part of the strong core the Celtics have right now, seemingly hitting it off well with Jayle Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kemba Walker. Proof of that is that they hold the third-best record in the Eastern Conference with a 37-16 card.
Though Celtics' top brass Danny Ainge has been reluctant when it comes to holding on to players past a certain point, Hayward's case may be an exception. This season, he seems to have found his bearings, and all signs point to better things. Rather than cut ties, perhaps Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens should address more pressing matters such as that big void in the center position.
