Boston Celtics Rumors: The Gordon Hayward decision Part II
The Boston Celtics and other NBA teams are once again waiting on a Gordon Hayward decision.
Will Gordon Hayward exercise his $34.2 million player option for the 2020-21 season, or will the Boston Celtics star opt out of his current contract and test the waters of free agency?
That is literally the million-dollar question awaiting Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and how he will proceed this offseason. With rumors swirling all offseason surround the 30-year-old star, it wouldn’t be surprising if Hayward was not playing in Boston in 2021-22 – whether he opts in or opts out.
As reported by the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy, Hayward does not yet know what he is going to do, but there are teams interested in his services either way.
Gordon Hayward has not decided on his $34.1 M option yet, and has until 5 p.m. tomorrow to exercise it. The Celtics have myriad options of their own to still consider. League source: "All I can say is that a lot of people want him."
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) November 16, 2020
This really feels like Al Horford all over again if you are a Boston Celtics fans. Due to the Brad Stevens connection and the amount of money Hayward would be leaving on the table if he opts out, it would seem unlikely he would decide to test free agency. But, if he is really unhappy and wants out of Boston, as some reports have suggested, then Ainge needs to prepare for moving on from Hayward.
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Perhaps, he already is. What Ainge and the Celtics need is for Gordon Hayward to opt to have him as a valuable trade chip. All the rumors surrounding Hayward to the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and other trade options, which include moving up in the 2020 NBA Draft would all depend on having Hayward under contract, or at least agreeing to a sign-and-trade type of scenario.
In an injury-ridden tenure with the Celtics, it would be valuable for both sides for Hayward to opt in and allow that type of option.
Gordon Hayward once again hold all the cards
Does he owe it to the Boston Celtics since he has not really lived up to his contract due to the injuries?
Not really. With the emergence of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Hayward is really the fourth option behind those two young, rising studs and Kemba Walker. Therefore, the Celtics holding onto him is really luxury vs necessity.
Although he averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his 2019-2020 season, Gordon Hayward still suffered injuries that allowed him to play just 52 games. He was also not on the court though the team’s playoff run this season.
In other words, the Boston Celtics win and can win without Hayward. What they need is the type of player they can obtain using the veteran star as a trade chip. Whether that be Myles Turner, Rudy Gobert, Steven Adams or top 10 NBA draft talent like USC big man Onyeka Okongwu, Gordon Hayward will have an opportunity to help the Celtics.
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Or, he could spurn them like Al Horford did by opting out to sign with another team.
So, here the Celtics are once again awaiting a Gordon Hayward decision. This one may have greater impact either way than his original decision in which he picked Boston in his free agency sweepstakes.