Boston Celtic veteran forward Gordon Hayward will opt out of the final season of his current deal to test the waters of free agency, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
This does not mean the Butler product is gone necessarily, and the option re-signing or of a sign-and-trade to a new team remain on the table — but the possibility of a Celtics future without the Indiana native just got a lot bigger for Boston.
Hayward has reportedly fielded interest from multiple teams including the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, both of whom have a path to signing the swingman outright.
Celtics’ Gordon Hayward has opted out of his $34M deal for the 2020-21 season and will become a free agent, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 19, 2020
With NBA free agency poised to start on Friday, November 20th at 6pm, we will soon find out the path Hayward will take, his Celtics tenure marred with bad luck and injury.
And perhaps underappreciation for what he’s brought to the table despite all of those injuries.
Hang on to your seats, folks — because this offseason could get wild.
