Boston Celtics signing Gordon Hayward to a max deal back in the summer of 2017 didn’t work out the way they thought it will. Hayward was sidelined for the entire 2017/18 NBA season due to a gruesome leg injury and struggled to find his form in the previous season. However, this still didn’t convince Celtics’ to move on from the 29-year-old forward.
According to Keith Smith of SB Nation, Celtics had the opportunity to trade Hayward this summer but the offer was “shut down quickly.” Smith reports that one NBA executive told him his team tried to contract Boston to see Hayward’s availability but got a negative response.
“We made a call, but it got shut down quickly,” – the executive told Smith. “I think Danny [Ainge] and Brad [Stevens] know what they have in Hayward for this year and going forward. He’s going to be really good again.”
Following Kyrie Irving’s departure this summer, Boston Celtics managed to bounce back quickly by signing Kemba Walker to a max contract. Walker, alongside Celtics’ young and deep roster, is expected to keep the team in contention for years to come and help them avoid rebuilding. This is why Boston is betting that Gordon Hayward might return to his All-Star form and propel them to the top of stacked East.
Hayward played in 72 games with the Celtics last season, averaging 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
