All-Star small forward Gordon Hayward picked the Boston Celtics because he didn’t want to take the role of the main man with the Utah Jazz and carry the franchise on his shoulders, according to a former teammate. Trevor Booker, who played with Hayward with the Jazz for two seasons, said his former teammate is a great player but he’s “the type of guy who doesn’t really want to be the man”.
“I'm not sure he wanted a franchise on his shoulders,” added Booker, who now plays power forward for the Brooklyn Nets. Booker added that he was not surprised when Hayward announced his move to the Celtics, who signed the former Jazz star to a four-year, $128 million deal.
Booker said he’s not sure if Hayward wanted to be that star with all the pressure on his shoulders, prompting his move to the Celtics where he can rely on somebody else.
Hayward second fiddle to Isaiah Thomas in Boston
In Boston, Booker said Hayward will play second fiddle to point guard Isaiah Thomas, who had an MVP-like season as he led the Celtics to the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. However, they lost to a more-talented Cleveland Cavaliers squad, prompting them to add Hayward in the offseason.
Ex-Jazz player claims no one wants to play in Utah
In a Twitter exchange with a fan, former Jazz point guard Trey Burke said no one in the NBA wants to play in Salt Lake City. A fan earlier tweeted “I don’t blame all the guys we let walk”, referring to Trey Lyles and Burke, who responded “Lol no I'm just afraid no one wants to play there my guy”.
When another fan questioned his earlier tweet, Burke replied “what I said was a fact, get over it”.
Burke was drafted 9th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2013 Draft but he was traded to the Jazz, who envisioned him to become their playmaker of the future. Burke averaged 12.8 points in his first two seasons with the Jazz but his output dipped to 10.6 points in just 21 minutes of action per game.
Last season, he was traded to the Washington Wizards, where he played a backup role, averaging 5.0 points in 57 games as backup to John Wall.
Criticizing the Jazz was nothing new to Burke, who hit his former team for trying to break him by decreasing his playing time significantly and for not using him in some games. Earlier, Golden State veteran Matt Barnes was criticized for saying that the Warriors were rooting for the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs because there is no night life in Salt Lake City.
