Should the Boston Celtics be worried about losing veteran forward Gordon Hayward in free agency this offseason?
If you talk to at least one analyst who earns his keep prognosticating what the Indiana Pacers ought to do, they should at least be a little worried.
In an interview with the Indianapolis Star’s J. Michael, NBC Sports Boston’s “Celtics Talk” podcast, the Indiana-based writer felt Hayward is a realistic target for the Pacers.
The Butler product, a native of Indiana himself, would enable the Pacers to be a much more dynamic team than they are now in terms of style of play.
“You can play an even more small-ball lineup,” related Michael via NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakeley. “Say for instance, you moved on [Myles] Turner or [Domantas] Sabonis.”
“Now you have space where you can go with real small-ball lineups and slot guys like him at the [power forward] and come up with some real diverse lineups that could give teams troubles and still have that big man/rim protector underneath to help keep the defensive integrity.”
There are probably more than a few Celtics fans who wouldn’t be terribly upset by the idea of a sign-and-trade for Turner, should the two teams be favorably disposed to such an idea, but it would come at a very real cost.
Hayward is not and hasn’t been the recovering player of most of his Boston tenure this season, and will likely be well-rested for a resumption of similarly high-level play that could be the ‘x factor’ that puts the team in striking distance of a title this season or next.
While not the superstar the Celtics hoped they’d signed in the summer of 2017, Michael is not wrong about the kind of diversity a 6-foot-7 playmaker able to play the two through the four with ease can provide.
While Boston might wisely balk at the notion of a near-max long-term deal given the former Bulldog is already on the wrong side of 30, they also might not want to assume there won’t be suitors should Hayward surprise and opt out of the final year of his current contract.
