Gordon Hayward has been somewhat of a hot commodity over the past few years and when he went to the Boston Celtics a few years ago, many thought that he would instantly turn that team into a title contender, especially when paired with Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately for Hayward and the Celtics, things didn't exactly go as according to plan as Irving eventually left the Celtics in free agency, all while the Celtics were subjected to some disappointing playoff exits.
For the last few weeks, there has been speculation that Hayward would want to leave the Celtics, and now, it seems like that is coming to fruition. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Hayward has opted out of the final year of his deal, which was worth $34 million. Now, Hayward will be able to go wherever he wants.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1329543781809577987
His decision came as a bit of a shock to basketball fans as at this point, it doesn't seem like any other team is going to offer him anything close to $34 million per year. However, if Hayward is looking to win a championship now, perhaps he could be looking for a reasonable suitor at a bit of a discount.
In fact, Marc Stein of The New York Times recently reported that the Knicks are heavily pursuing Hayward, although if his plans are to win a title, maybe he should steer clear of New York.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1329530306869641216
Keep it locked to HNHH as we will continue to bring you all of the latest free agency news.
