Things may be coming into focus regarding veteran Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward and his free agency plans.
Speaking on Stadium’s “Inside The Association” NBA free agency special, The Athletic’s Shams Charania shared that Hayward is “fully focused” on getting to the Pacers, with the subtext being that Indiana and Boston’s front offices are working towards a sign-and-trade to make it happen.
With Indiana not possessing the cap space to sign the Butler product, they would need the Celtics to play ball to sign Hayward — or perhaps recruiting the New York Knicks or Atlanta Hawks to absorb salary at a premium to get to the same end.
Join me on NBA Draft Live Show on @Stadium: Latest on Klay Thompson and the top of the Draft. https://t.co/x6vPViDrlc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 19, 2020
The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn is reporting Boston prefers Myles Turner and either TJ Warren or Victor Oladipo, while the Pacers would prefer to send back Doug McDermott with Turner.
How this epic game of chicken ends is anyone’s guess at this point, but at least for now, either a return of assets or a Hayward return are both looking like realistic outcomes.
Which is exactly the sort of position Boston needs to be in to maximize their 2020-21 title odds.
