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Boston Celtics Rumors: Gordon Hayward sparking interest from Cavaliers

By Joe DeFerrari

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 14: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden on December 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 14: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden on December 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics Gordon Hayward (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics Gordon Hayward (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Argument 2: the Boston Celtics should NOT consider trading Gordon Hayward to the Cleveland Cavaliers

Stay far, far away from this deal, Danny Ainge. Don’t touch this trade with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole.

Let’s start off by getting more realistic in how we talk about Gordon Hayward’s production. It’s true that he hasn’t looked like his pre-injury self this season – but he’s certainly looked a hell of a lot closer as the season has progressed. In his last 5 regular season games, he scored 18.4 ppg on 64 percent shooting and 39 percent shooting from deep.

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The Celtics were 1.7 points per 100 possessions better in their last 15 games with Hayward on the court, despite him playing largely with bench units. He’s looked more confident driving to the rim and more fluid in every facet of his game.

In a March article for Forbes, Evan Dammarell wrote, “This time, Ainge and his Celtics are the desperate ones, as they will likely try to do anything to offload Hayward’s contract. Thankfully for Cleveland, the Celtics have acquired the assets in order to make taking on Hayward more palatable for Cleveland.”

Can we take a moment to recognize the absurdity here? Cleveland folks think they can have it both ways. They talk about Hayward like he’s a giant negative asset – in this galaxy of thought, the Celtics would have to attach multiple picks to Hayward just to make the trade feel more fair for the Cavaliers. Yet in the same breath, they talk about Hayward elevating them back to the playoffs. The obnoxiousness makes me want to vomit out my internal organs.

Moral of the story: the best version of the Boston Celtics still involves Gordon Hayward. Players coming back from major injury always struggle out of the gate, and Hayward has shown enough progress that abandoning faith now would be senseless. This is a really, really awful idea for the Celtics.

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