Gordon Hayward finally broke the suspense and decided to play for the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. Hayward and the Celtics agreed on a four-year, $128 million deal, reports ESPN. The other part of this news was that an elite NBA player had moved from the Eastern conference to the Western conference, and that was news on its own. Utah Jazz fans must be shattered and Miami Heat fans can only dream about what could have been. Hayward will now reunite with his former college coach Brad Stevens.
Celtics get Hayward
The Boston Celtics will have to make some room for Hayward, and that entails dealing players like Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, or Avery Bradley.
The Celtics were already a top team in the east. This move only makes them stronger and improves their chances in a potential rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern conference finals.
The Miami Heat needed Hayward more than any other suitor. On the other hand, Utah was his home for 7 years. At the end of the day, both Heat and Jazz enticed Hayward and made him ponder his decision for a while, but both teams fell short. The Celtics and their team seemed more prepared to knock on the doors of an NBA title.
The Celtics missed out on Paul George and Jimmy Butler and were duly criticized for not being more aggressive on those fronts. But, in this case, the Celtics have signed their man.
It seems like the Celtics were reluctant to make any deals prior to learning about Hayward's future.
Does this move make the Celtics a real threat to the Cavaliers? Probably not. Their big man problems are still a reality. Al Horford needs help rebounding the ball and scoring in the paint. In addition, they are undersized in different positions.
While they can be rugged, their defensive deficiencies are exposed once they play elite teams, and these have not been resolved after the acquisition of Hayward.
Hayward does add a much needed second ball handler and dynamic scorer on the floor for the Celtics. Hayward, 27, averaged 21.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 5.4 rebounds a game last season on 47% from the field and 40% from the three-point line.
A lot of weight will now be removed from Isiah Thomas' shoulders. It seems like the Celtics are now only one star away from truly contending in the east.
Hayward moves east
Hayward is leaving a comfortable situation in Utah where pressure to win is not asphyxiating and where he is the star in and off the court. However, the western conference is packed with talent more than ever. Hayward's chances of competing for the NBA title were slim to none if he had remained with the Jazz. in addition, it would have been difficult for him to make the All-Star team.
Hayward's chances increase drastically by moving to the east. Given the mismanagement and talent drain within most eastern conference teams, Hayward now has a solid chance of at least making a conference finals.
He can also feel confident about his chances of making the All-Star team if he plays at his usual level. Hayward is ready to get to work, but are the Celtics done upgrading the team in this off-season?
