Woj: Hayward to Charlotte (4 years, $120 million)

[CelticSooner]

https://twitter.com/jaredweissnba/status/1330235233690673164?s=21

Plan B?

He is a plan A guy

[Tr1boy]

https://twitter.com/spotrac/status/1330232781767659530

Would the Hornets still be short even if they waive Batum or no?

If not.... Celts get a big fat zero

[jpotter33]

Oh nos, we’re doomed!  We lost the guy who barely played the last three seasons!!!

Precisely. I mean, he was a no show for all our playoff runs too. It's not like our guys aren't used to him not being around.

I think its moreso the fact that we lost another asset without recouping any value. The premium draft picks are gone, we're going to be capped out soon, and there's really no way to go from Eastern Conference finalist to champion. Yes, the Jays will improve, but we still have to build around them.

I think people don't give our young guys enough credit. The Jays still have room to grow and will only get better, especially with more usage now with Hayward gone. Timelord really got screwed last year with the big hip injury, but if he stays healthy he's our future starting 5 and has a ceiling higher than Capela's and takes our game to a whole new level. And I think Romeo showed in the little spurts this year that he's got upside, so there's still lots of room for us to grow upwards.

[PAOBoston]

https://twitter.com/zachlowe_nba/status/1330234967633301508?s=21

Sounds like Hayward had that offer on the table since opting out basically. Tried to see if he could get that with Indy. Indy didn’t want to match, took the money and moved on the CHA.

[jpotter33]

https://twitter.com/zachlowe_nba/status/1330234967633301508?s=21

Sounds like Hayward had that offer on the table since opting out basically. Tried to see if he could get that with Indy. Indy didn’t want to match, took the money and moved on the CHA.

Yep. The closest money I heard was Indy potentially willing to go $100 Million over 4 years, though it's unclear whether all of that would've been guaranteed. Even New York didn't want to get anywhere near that. Clear that Gordy just took the highest offer that came and gave him the most flexibility.

[Kuberski33]

 

Oh nos, we’re doomed!  We lost the guy who barely played the last three seasons!!!

It's not the end of the world. Tatum and Brown will continue to improve. Kemba's still here. Smart now stays. What they'd need to add to that - a wing who will move the ball and score a few points - is something you can find with the room they have left. But now there's some pressure on these mid level 1st round picks to actually produce.

But we should hold off on judging Ainge till we see what the roster looks like next month - and even beyond then - this team is still building.

[MattyIce]

I just find it hard to believe Hayward, who is loaded, would prefer an addition 5 mil a year vs what Indiana wanted to offer. Just going by reports of 4 years 100 mil

I truly believe being home and with his family is worth the 5 mil less a year. Let’s not forget the stupid endorsement deal he got with that Chinese shoe company, guy is loaded.

I believe, and this is just my opinion, he took it because Ainge wouldn’t accept Indys deal.

Reliable sources said Gordon wanted Indy, I think ainges greed cost us big.

Do you think Antoine or any number of other broke players wish they’d gotten an extra $20 million?

Do you have any doubt that Antione or any of those other broke players wouldn't have burnt through that as well?

not taking sides but just so you guys are aware, Gordon’s wife is worth a ton more than GH himself

Where is here money from?

Are you sure you aren't thinking of Tom Brady?

i’m not sure of the line of business but her parents are EXTREMELY wealthy

[Who]

And I think Romeo showed in the little spurts this year that he's got upside, so there's still lots of room for us to grow upwards.

I was wondering if Romeo could start next year to keep Smart coming off the bench as a 6th man ... but Smart is too good to lose those extra minutes he'd get as a starter vs bench guy.

[jpotter33]

https://twitter.com/jaredweissnba/status/1330235233690673164?s=21

Plan B?

He is a plan A guy

Would love this signing for the MLE. A starting lineup of Kemba, Brown, Tatum, Milsap, and Timelord with Romeo, Smart, Pritchard, Nesmith, Semi, Williams, and Theis off the bench with one other vet player to round out the bench would be really solid. Feel like we need one more big and one more vet guard/wing guy, though.

[hwangjini_1]

this is pretty much the worse case scenario. I thought at least a S&T would come back from Charlotte. But MJ continues to show the world he has a crappy NBA mind.

MJ pays $30 million a year for hayward's 31-34 years? and then tops it off by stretching batum at $9 a year for 3 years??? that functionally makes hayward a $39 million a year player for 3 years. MJ is really not very good at this stuff.

a S&T would have helped both sides, but MJ botched it.

As for hayward, good luck and happy journey to the land of NBA nothing. he will toil away the remainder of his career in a crappy franchise. all his talk of wanting to play for a contender, or in indiana, melted away when someone put more money on the table. i understand and wish him well.

the celtics.... they are hurting. so many teams improved in the east, but the celtics have not, at least not yet.

ainge did not want turner, his $18 million a year and his non-fit with the celtics, from what i read elsewhere. and mcdermont was really McFungible. no real place place on the celtics.

celtics have so little to show from what started off as a great, great signing years ago.

now, they will probably pick up a few mid-range salaries so they can do some trades mid-season as teams drop from contention and want to dump players.

sigh...the rooks need to step it up in hurry now. 

[libermaniac]

And I think Romeo showed in the little spurts this year that he's got upside, so there's still lots of room for us to grow upwards.

I was wondering if Romeo could start next year to keep Smart coming off the bench as a 6th man ... but Smart is too good to lose those extra minutes he'd get as a starter vs bench guy.

I think you owe it to Smart to have him as a starter.  Not that starting the game is super important, it's just an image thing and will keep him happy.  Perhaps he's the first to sit, after like 4 minutes, so he plays more minutes with the second unit or something.

[BitterJim]

https://twitter.com/zachlowe_nba/status/1330234967633301508?s=21

Sounds like Hayward had that offer on the table since opting out basically. Tried to see if he could get that with Indy. Indy didn’t want to match, took the money and moved on the CHA.

Yep. The closest money I heard was Indy potentially willing to go $100 Million over 4 years, though it's unclear whether all of that would've been guaranteed. Even New York didn't want to get anywhere near that. Clear that Gordy just took the highest offer that came and gave him the most flexibility.

That guarantee really is huge. at the very least, it's $20 million more than Indy offered. If one of the years on the Indy deal was non-guaranteed or a team option, that could be a difference of $45 million. The deal he got in Charlotte is honestly incredible

[Big333223]

Very reminiscent of losing Horford last summer. Let's recap how that turned out:

The Celtics swept Horford's new team in the first round and then that team salary dumped Horford.

Hayward got to choose who he played for and I agree with Ainge's decision not to offer 4/$120 for the team's oft-injured 4th option. Disappointing it worked out this way but paying Hayward that contract would probably be worse.

[kraidstar]

https://twitter.com/jaredweissnba/status/1330235233690673164?s=21

Plan B?

He is a plan A guy

Dunno about that. He is 35 and looks to be on the decline. His numbers last year were down across the board from his career averages. It will only get worse going forward.

[blink]

Oh nos, we’re doomed!  We lost the guy who barely played the last three seasons!!!

Precisely. I mean, he was a no show for all our playoff runs too. It's not like our guys aren't used to him not being around.

This is true.  Missed all of 2017-18 playoffs, played in 2018-19 but was still a shell of himself, and played in 5 (not particularly well) of C's 17 playoff games in 2019-20.    So what fans were hoping for is a season of healthy Hayward that has not yet happened.  Could have been great, but in large part what the C's have accomplished in the last 3 years was not due to Hayward.

Well it is easy to forget that Hayward averaged 17.5 / 5.6 / 4.1 this year during the regular season.  He had his moments where he won games for us.  I know the optimistic view is that he never worked out for us.  But the truth is during 2019-2020 he played well for us and was an efficient and productive player.  You all can poo poo that if you want, but it hurts losing him, especially for nothing.  Losing him forces Smart back into the starting lineup and kills our bench scoring. 

I don't think you can blame Gordon (I mean they gave him 120 mil), and DA might not ever be to blame at all (Gordon has to resign for a S&T to happen), but to just gloss it over as no big thing isn't completely right either.  It sucks that we lost Hayward, and it really sucks we didn't get anything back for him.  Our team will probably take a step back from this unless something crazy happens in free agency.