As a potential free agent in 2017, Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward will be a popular target. Hayward just suffered a broken and dislocated finger and is expected to miss the next six weeks, meaning we won’t see him on the floor for Utah to kick-off the 2016-17 season.
One team with reported interest in Hayward is Boston, coming as no surprise as Celtics head coach Brad Stevens coach Hayward in college at Butler. In a list of his crazy predictions for the upcoming NBA season, ESPN’s Zach Lowe foresees Hayward re-signing with Utah, but the Celtics reportedly have real interest:
There is probably more buzz surrounding Hayward’s impending free agency than about Paul, Griffin, Kyle Lowry and other starrier names. Hayward is 26, in the meat of his prime, killing it at the thinnest position in the league. Utah waited for Charlotte to max him out last time around, and Hayward has a long memory. The Jazz have a ton of guys to pay, and if they down enough beers (just kidding, it’s Utah!), they might convince themselves they have the wing depth to withstand Hayward bolting. His beloved college coach runs a rising team with an easy roadmap to max-cap space — and real interest in Hayward, per several league sources.
The thought of Hayward with the Celtics as they’re now built seems appropriate, especially given the Brad Stevens connection. It’s yet to be seen how eager Hayward would be to depart from a similar situation in Utah with a young, developing core, an impressive coach and sound culture. As Danny Ainge and Boston continue to be aggressive in summer free agency pursuits, like they were this summer with Kevin Durant and signee Al Horford, expect Gordon Hayward to be on their list.
