Gordon Hayward’s future with the Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown’s contract extension not only impacts his future with the Boston Celtics but, also, Gordon Hayward‘s.
Coming into his third year with the team, many are gushing over the possibility of seeing the version of the small forward that fans anticipated when Ainge and co. inked him to a 4-year, $128 million contract during the summer of 2017.
As we all know, his first year in Boston was cut brutally short. Five minutes into his inaugural shamrock season, Hayward fractured his left tiba as well as dislocated his ankle, causing him to sit out for the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign. Year two, while physically he appeared ready to play right from the get-go, for a majority of the 2018-19 season, Hayward seemed tentative when on the court, which led many to believe mentally he wasn’t fully recovered from his brutal injury.
Now, two full years removed from that fateful night, it appears the former All-Star is completely recovered and, in his own words, is ready to “be the player I came here to be.”
If Hayward does in fact live up to these goals and expectations, he could play himself out of his fourth year player option and into another longterm lucrative payday. However, with Brown’s new extension, coupled with Tatum’s looming contract negotiations, would it be worth it for the Boston Celtics to retain all three wings?
Lets say Danny Ainge really hoped to keep these three players in tow for the years proceeding their current contracts. If Hayward plays similar to how he did during his final years with the Utah Jazz, he’d very likely qualify for a contract similar to, say, Eric Bledsoe‘s current deal and, thus, would push the team over the luxury tax, with the idea that they extend Tatum — which they will.
With Brown’s extension, this aforementioned scenario is very possible. Now the question is, would keeping all three wings be worth the Boston Celtics footing the luxury tax bill?
Our current answer: probably not.