Will the Celtics sign free agent Gordon Hayward?

[jpotter33]

I'm kinda hoping we don't sign Hayward.  Signing him would probably mean Olynyk goes elsewhere and it would mean less playing time for Brown and Tatum.

I'm torn, though.  How good is Gordon Hayward, really?  We talking Jimmy Butler good, or we talking a notch below that?

I don't know.

Better overall offensive player and shooter (Butler's numbers were really aided by his free throw attempts), but a significant drop down defensively. Hayward is still an above average defender, though.

[Ilikesports17]

I'm kinda hoping we don't sign Hayward.  Signing him would probably mean Olynyk goes elsewhere and it would mean less playing time for Brown and Tatum.

I'm torn, though.  How good is Gordon Hayward, really?  We talking Jimmy Butler good, or we talking a notch below that?

I don't know.

Better overall offensive player and shooter (Butler's numbers were really aided by his free throw attempts), but a significant drop down defensively. Hayward is still an above average defender, though.

Don't free throws count tho?

[RockinRyA]

I'm kinda hoping we don't sign Hayward.  Signing him would probably mean Olynyk goes elsewhere and it would mean less playing time for Brown and Tatum.

I'm torn, though.  How good is Gordon Hayward, really?  We talking Jimmy Butler good, or we talking a notch below that?

I don't know.

Better overall offensive player and shooter (Butler's numbers were really aided by his free throw attempts), but a significant drop down defensively. Hayward is still an above average defender, though.

Don't free throws count tho?

They are, and they are already factored in. Hayward is just the better offensive player between the two.

[footey]

- Concerns about roster makeup vs Utah system.
No Gobert defensive presence.  IT4 possession time with the ball.  Who takes
the last shot?     Hayward is the man in Utah and would be also for the Heat (similar structure to the Jazz team with Whiteside etc.)

TP. This is a great point and one that I've thought about a little. He's currently in a system in which the second best player is a defensive specialist big, and I think that's allowed him to dominate the ball offensively and play his best defense on the wing, knowing that he has a presence in the paint to back him up if he fails. There's a sense of confidence that makes defenders better when they know they have a backup plan (i.e., Gobert) waiting for the at the rim. We definitely don't have that. And for all of Whiteside's downfalls, he can block shots and can help a lot in terms of weakside rim protection. I see the similarities and can understand the appeal in that.

I think one thing that makes the Jazz unappealing is that some of the promising young talent have regressed. Rodney Hood was showing signs as a high upside two-way SG, but had a down year with inconsistent shooting and lapses on defense. Trey Lyles looked like a steal and a potentially great fit alongside Gobert on the block, but he had a horrible shooting season and generally looked terrible throughout the year. And Derrick Favors, who was once considered a cornerstone type piece for the team became irrelevant in the system once Gobert emerged. What was once seen as a decent young core looks blemished at the foundation and I imagine that's a concern for Hayward in his decision making process.

Disagree. I think Hayward is smart enough to realize he needs a scoring partner to succeed at the next level. Only Boston provides that in IT. Celtics will set record straight that IT is not that Ball dominant, just BS that critics created. IT is an alpha dog leader. Remember that article that Smart penned?  Really gave you inside view of how his teammates revere him. Hayward should only count his blessings to have a teammate like him. Hayward does not have that personality to lead and probably doesn't want that burden. Hopefully he just wants to win and make a lot of money in the process. If so his choice will be Boston.

[jpotter33]

I'm kinda hoping we don't sign Hayward.  Signing him would probably mean Olynyk goes elsewhere and it would mean less playing time for Brown and Tatum.

I'm torn, though.  How good is Gordon Hayward, really?  We talking Jimmy Butler good, or we talking a notch below that?

I don't know.

Better overall offensive player and shooter (Butler's numbers were really aided by his free throw attempts), but a significant drop down defensively. Hayward is still an above average defender, though.

Don't free throws count tho?

They do, but I was making that fact known since Butler's free throw numbers would go down significantly if he joined Boston and had the ball much less than he did in Chicago. With Hayward's shooting and better play off the ball, I think that concern is much less with him here than someone like Butler.

[Jvalin]

Any news on when he is gonna announce his decision??

[Atzar]

I'm kinda hoping we don't sign Hayward.  Signing him would probably mean Olynyk goes elsewhere and it would mean less playing time for Brown and Tatum.

I'm torn, though.  How good is Gordon Hayward, really?  We talking Jimmy Butler good, or we talking a notch below that?

I don't know.

He's a notch below Butler. 

People seem to be overlooking how good Butler was last year.  Statistical aggregates (Win Shares, Box Score Plus/Minus, etc) almost all have him as a top 10 player; a few had him in the top 5.  Conversely, Gordon Hayward was more in the top 25 range with some putting him in the top 15.

A point of interest:  Hayward DID rate better than Paul George last year.  So there's that.  As much as we had all talked ourselves into George being our next superstar, there's some statistical evidence to the contrary. 

[Ilikesports17]

I think we've got a better chance at Hayward than Utah (by a slim margin) and I never understood the Heat intrigue so I don't feel confident evaluating Miami's chances. Gordon sees something there that I don't see obviously.

[Tr1boy]

Any news on when he is gonna announce his decision??

Nope. But out of courtesy I imagine by Wed.

[Jvalin]

Any news on when he is gonna announce his decision??

Nope. But out of courtesy I imagine by Wed.

Ugh, the wait is killing me.

[Bobshot]

I think it's encouraging he's meeting with Utah reps in San Diego, not Utah, on Monday. FWIW.

I still would like to know what that pic of his wife holding his kid in a Celtics T-shirt was all about. That has to have some significance.

I doubt the Celtics offer will be the highest one money-wise. Maybe the lowest. But without George, they have more leverage on the cap. Maybe they backed out of George figuring they need more cap space for Hayward--especially with Miami having about $34M in cap space.

Ainge plays his cards pretty close, and all the media talk may not be accurate.

[hodgy03038]

I think it's encouraging he's meeting with Utah reps in San Diego, not Utah, on Monday. FWIW.

I still would like to know what that pic of his wife holding his kid in a Celtics T-shirt was all about. That has to have some significance.

I doubt the Celtics offer will be the highest one money-wise. Maybe the lowest. But without George, they have more leverage on the cap. Maybe they backed out of George figuring they need more cap space for Hayward--especially with Miami having about $34M in cap space.

Ainge plays his cards pretty close, and all the media talk may not be accurate.

I think only Utah can offer more money. BOS & MIA I would think would be the same max at about 29.7 x 4 years unless there is a wink and a nod for a renegotiation later if that's even possible.

[Phantom255x]

I think it's encouraging he's meeting with Utah reps in San Diego, not Utah, on Monday. FWIW.

I still would like to know what that pic of his wife holding his kid in a Celtics T-shirt was all about. That has to have some significance.

I doubt the Celtics offer will be the highest one money-wise. Maybe the lowest. But without George, they have more leverage on the cap. Maybe they backed out of George figuring they need more cap space for Hayward--especially with Miami having about $34M in cap space.

Ainge plays his cards pretty close, and all the media talk may not be accurate.

I think only Utah can offer more money. BOS & MIA I would think would be the same max at about 29.7 x 4 years unless there is a wink and a nod for a renegotiation later if that's even possible.

Hayward's favorable option, I hear, is a 3 year deal with a 4th year option which he opts-out of, in order to chase an EVEN BIGGER contract then.

So the difference isn't that big between Utah and BOS/MIA since it would only be like 3-4M more. But yes, Utah can offer some more money than either.

Also, I forgot about the green T shirt fiasco LOL. I wonder if Mrs. Hayward and coach Stevens had a laugh about that 

[footey]

I'm kinda hoping we don't sign Hayward.  Signing him would probably mean Olynyk goes elsewhere and it would mean less playing time for Brown and Tatum.

I'm torn, though.  How good is Gordon Hayward, really?  We talking Jimmy Butler good, or we talking a notch below that?

I don't know.

He's a notch below Butler. 

People seem to be overlooking how good Butler was last year.  Statistical aggregates (Win Shares, Box Score Plus/Minus, etc) almost all have him as a top 10 player; a few had him in the top 5.  Conversely, Gordon Hayward was more in the top 25 range with some putting him in the top 15.

A point of interest:  Hayward DID rate better than Paul George last year.  So there's that.  As much as we had all talked ourselves into George being our next superstar, there's some statistical evidence to the contrary.

Hayward's playing style is a better match with IT than Butler or George.

[celticinorlando]

I do not think Utah can offer Hayward anything more than money. They are 4 or 5th at best in the West. His wife is not a fan of living there.

What are they going to pitch him that they haven't already shown or said?