Leverage is only good if he has another bidder that can really push the C's. I don't know if he has that, very few teams have cap space this off season.
and I'm sure the lack of consistent production hasn't helped his negotiation leverage either
He has zero leverage because he wants to play for CBS. Ainge will get a discount from Hayward, either this year or the next.
I mean why did the Celtics have to pay him the absolute max, give him a player option, a trade kicker, and trade multiple useful players to clear the space for an extra couple 100k to get him to the max?
Zero leverage is not something you can say about a UFA NBA player who has played at Haywards level, even if he's fallen in the NBA pecking order the last three years.
