On this day in 2017, the Boston Celtics signed All-Star veteran forward Gordon Hayward away from the Utah Jazz in free agency.
The Butler product’s deal, a four-year, $128 million deal with a player option on its final year, was signed by the Indiana native to start his career with the Celtics, which continues right up to the present.
While a devastating injury to his ankle marred his first season with Boston after a fall just moments into the 2018-18 NBA season, Hayward worked diligently to get back to his old self and abilities over the next two seasons.
This season, he is much fo the way back to where he had been before the injury, though foot soreness continues to bother him from time to time.
The former No. 9 overall pick has averaged 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a steal per game while with the Celtics.
It is also the anniversary of former Celtic big man Chris Wilcox signing with the team in 2012.
Wilcox, a product of Maryland, had last played for the Detroit Pistons before signing on to reinforce Boston’s aging frontcourt in the latter days of the Banner 17 crew, and played for 89 games over two seasons with the franchise.
The Raleigh, North Carolina native logged 4.6 points and 3.3 boards in his time in green and white.
A pivotal moment in Celtics history in 1978, legendary team president Red Auerbach decided to turn down an offer to decamp to the New York Knicks after the Celtics’ new owner John Y. Brown had made a mess of his roster by making trades without consulting Auerbach.
“It started on the streets of Boston,” Auerbach said via the New York Times’ Sam Goldaper, “where the average fans, not the season‐ticket holders or the rich ones, but the average guy just stopped me and said, ‘Red, don’t leave.'”
“From there it just spread to my players, former players. I got calls from John Havlicek, Frank Ramsay, Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White. Everyone just let me know in no uncertain terms that they wanted me to stay, and I found that very flattering. Havlicek told me he wouldn’t be there on opening night to have his number retired if I left Boston. When I left to go to New York to meet with Werblin and Burke, the pilot on the Eastern shuttle said, ‘Hey Red, don’t leave.'”
Mercifully, he did not.
Finally, today is also the day former Boston forward Jordan Mickey was waived by the Celtics in 2017, in order to make room for the Hayward signing. Mickey, a product of LSU, had been drafted by the team 33rd overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
A native of Dallas Texas, the former Tiger had put up 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest while with the franchise, and has since moved on to a stint with the Miami Heat and a successful overseas career.
