Boston Celtics: Is Gordon Hayward the odd man out?

Gordon Hayward is still continuing to progress in the right direction since injuring his ankle in 2017. Grant Williams has been showing great signs of growth as an NBA caliber player, though and could be a threat to take away minutes. How will that effect Hayward’s future with the Boston Celtics?

This is a big year for Gordon Hayward, as his contract is close to its expiration date with the Boston Celtics.  The forward is looking to showcase his best season since injuring his ankle, as he enters a player option in 2020/21.  The player option in 2020/21 will be for roughly $34 million.

There has been some reluctance displayed by Hayward since his injury, forcing uncertainty upon the Boston Celtics (and the rest of the league).  With Grant Williams being a potential candidate to have an ample amount of minutes this season, I think Brad Stevens alters his lineup; moving Hayward back to the bench.

The re-tooled Celtics are built around their core set of All-Star/All-Stars in the making: Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum.  I find that the talent and maturity of Williams to be a better fit with this team, in a Brad Stevens system, than Hayward.

It was easy to assume Hayward would fit in the Celtics’ system, considering the successful history with Stevens.  Even if the injury didn’t happen, I never thought that he was the missing link to Boston’s chain.  The team may have instead drafted their missing link this year in Grant Williams.

Williams has about 15 pounds on Hayward.  The extra size and weight, along with his athleticism and intelligence, sets him apart from Hayward at the forward position.  The rookie, though undersized, is powerful enough to control the paint.

When thinking about the dynamic of the Boston Celtics, its easy to see thebrookie has great potential to earn a starting role early in his career.  There are more plays to be built around the versatility of Tatum and Williams than what is possible with the slow-footed Hayward.  Inserting Williams into the starting unit slides Tatum back into his more comfortable small forward spot.

The rookie forward, similar to a point guard, has the ability to see plays develop, and that aspect of his game will come in handy when playing with Kemba Walker; I see many alley-oops in the near future.  Starting Grant gives the Boston Celtics myriad options on both ends of the floor.

Making a move like that also gives the team a better competitive advantage in the paint.  The rookie forward has the body to be able stud defensively, and is going to be impacting games defensively this season.  Kanter and Williams controlling the opposing team’s big men could be one of the best duos on the team.

The Boston Celtics were on the verge of not getting anything in return for Terry Rozier, until Danny Ainge was able to work some magic and conduct a sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Walker. Perhaps Ainge won’t be as shy to pull the trigger in the future if the writing is on the wall that a player is leaving.

With that in mind, there are going to be plenty of Hayward trade rumors.  By the trade deadline, Ainge should have a plan in mind to move the veteran forward.  Trading his contract could net the team assets ranging from future draft stock to players that can contribute to winning right now. The Boston Celtics are in the position to use both right now with a promising young core and a right-minded superstar point guard in his prime now in tow.

Considering all of this, and with the emergence of the rookie power house Williams, I just don’t see the fit/need for Gordon Hayward on this team.