Gordon Hayward has agreed to join the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics put all of their eggs in the “acquire a superstar” basket this offseason and saw that faith pay off with the acquisition of Gordon Hayward.
The 27-year-old, 6-8 small forward agreed to leave the Utah Jazz and sign a four-year, $128 million deal with the Celtics.
Before we get to it significance for the Celtics, let’s talk about what it means for the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz went all-out in an effort to retain their budding superstar, including a deal that brought Hayward-favorite, Ricky Rubio to the team via trade earlier this offseason. It’s long been known that Hayward was eager to play with a pass-first point guard and that Rubio was at the top of his wishlist.
Without Hayward, the young and talented Jazz suddenly seem a lot less promising as they work with a core of Rubio, Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood and the recently re-signed Joe Ingles.
In the blink of an eye, they go from a potential mid-seed playoff team to an organization likely on the outside of the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference, searching for a new identity.
Needless to say, this move is massive for Boston, the reigning top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Hayward is exactly what the doctor ordered. Another go-to scorer who plays the game the right way and shares the basketball. Hayward’s reunion with his college coach Brad Stevens could turn the Celtics into the team to beat in the East for the foreseeable future.
It’s also interesting how this move changes the perception of the team. Had the Celtics lost out on Hayward (like it appeared they would, just 48 hours ago), Danny Ainge‘s resistance to part with one of his future draft assets would look foolish.
Now, it looks ingenious.
In a 2018 draft that looks to be loaded with big men (the missing link on this Boston roster), the Celtics own their own first round pick, an unprotected first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers first round pick, if it falls between picks 2-5.
While there are certainly things that still need to be sorted out (expect Marcus Smart and/or Jae Crowder to be traded shortly), the future of the Celtics looks to be incredibly bright. With the Cleveland Cavaliers future trending downward, and the Philadelphia 76ers future on the up-swing, this moves ensures things will be very interesting in the Eastern Conference moving forward.
