Yahoo Sources: The Atlanta Hawks are in play to acquire Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward.

[Joncolton]

Scroll back up to restore default view.

Sources: Hawks in play to acquire Gordon Hayward​

Chris Haynes
Tue, November 17, 2020, 4:32 PM MST·1 min read


The Atlanta Hawks are in play in an attempt to acquire Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
A sign-and-trade deal is a possible route, but Atlanta is equipped with the most cap space in the league at around $44 million and can simply sign Hayward to a hefty multi-year deal if he decided to decline his option.
Atlanta is seeking an alternative playmaker to incorporate alongside young star Trae Young. The Hawks will also be in contention for veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who is declining his $2.7 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers to become an unrestricted free agent, sources said.
Hayward, 30, has plenty of interest, sources said.
The 6-foot-7 small forward has a player option for the 2020-21 season worth $34.2 million.
He had a deadline of Nov. 17 to decide his course, but both sides have agreed to push the deadline back to Nov. 19. This move is to provide more time for talks to continue on how to move forward, sources said.
The 10-year veteran averaged 17.5 points, 50% from the field, 38% from 3-point range while pulling down 6.7 rebounds last season for the Celtics.
Hayward spent the past three years in Boston and prior to that played seven seasons with the Utah Jazz.

 

[zyzz]

According to a person familiar with Hayward’s thinking, the 30-year-old former All-Star wants to continue to be a core part of a winning team and would not want to go to Atlanta. Hayward delaying his $34 million player option deadline to Thursday at 5 p.m. ET indicates that he wants more options. This rumor that the Hawks are in play seems like posturing to create a perception of leverage, that Hayward would be happy to join Atlanta either on his current contract or in a new multi-year deal.

It all would be highly plausible if Hayward had continued his strong season in the playoffs and showed he was an integral part of a winning team. Instead, the Celtics survived without him and made a deep run, even if it was apparent the team would have been much better with him.

Front-office personnel who spoke with The Athletic after the postseason and in the lead-up to this week agreed that the optics of his August ankle sprain, as well as his struggles when he returned in the conference finals, dramatically hampered the likelihood of a multi-year deal this offseason. Hayward suffered nerve irritation and deep bone bruising from that ankle sprain, and it’s hard to imagine a team besides Boston committing to him long-term right now because of the medical uncertainty.

NBA Draft intel: Making sense of the Gordon Hayward rumors

Hayward is seeking options, as are the Celtics. As both sides try to find a solution, it's worth asking whether James Harden is in play.

theathletic.com

Hayward has long been frustrated with his role in Boston, but not because he resents his coaches or teammates. It’s that he established himself as someone who was going to get plenty of shots and passes to find his rhythm and he succeeds when he can feel his way out through the game. He had a usage rate of over 22 percent in his last five seasons in Utah, with a pinnacle of 27.6 percent in his lone All-Star season in 2016-17. It’s been all the way down to 19 and 21.1 percent, respectively, the past two years. He should expect that number to be a little bit lower on a contending team with a star point guard, but Jayson Tatum’s emergence exacerbated the issue.

If he’s playing his best, staying healthy and winning in Boston, he’ll be happy. But there has been enough tumult in his Boston tenure that Hayward is actively exploring other situations. It doesn’t mean he hates Boston or adamantly wants out. It’s a reasonable middle ground that reflects someone who has worked his whole life to lead a contending team and he wants his chance to do that.

 

[Avery]

I expect Boston to package their picks and move up.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

There are also rumors about him being traded to Cleveland.... Bwahahahahaha!

So he delayed the opt in cuz they are like "you opt in and you headed to purgatory". His agent was like... let me see what we can get in Atlanta if we opt out.

 

[Carbon13]

Why arent we talking about this more? Literally **** gordon hayward!! Say it with me boys!

 

[zyzz]

There are also rumors about him being traded to Cleveland.... Bwahahahahaha!

So he delayed the opt in cuz they are like "you opt in and you headed to purgatory". His agent was like... let me see what we can get in Atlanta if we opt out.

Lol source? Would be great for him to play with Dante again. Surely Hayward is still on Exum Island

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Lol source? Would be great for him to play with Dante again. Surely Hayward is still on Exum Island

Windhorst on his pod last night... sorry no link doe.