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Boston Celtics: Making sense of Gordon Hayward’s potential 2020 contract extension

By Lyle Morrison

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics in action in the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on January 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics in action in the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on January 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
Boston Celtics (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes signed a 4-year, $85 million contract extension with Sacramento last season. The structure is interesting in that the salary is heavily front-loaded, beginning at an annual salary of about $24 million and de-escalating to $18 million in the final year during his age 31-season.

This seems like a contract that is more in line with what Hayward could end up with. Barnes was slightly younger than Hayward will be when negotiations begin (27 vs 30), and their stats over the course of their careers have been quite comparable.

Stats, of course, aren’t everything (just ask Marcus Smart), and there are many other considerations to be taken into account. Barnes is a world champion, has been a part of several deep playoff runs as a member of the Golden State Warriors, and is a fixture of the USA Select and Olympic teams.

However, he has assuredly benefitted statistically from playing on such a talented roster. And the moniker of “world champion” might be more of a vanity title than something indicative of production or value to a team.

The Kings are also in a much different place that the Celtics are as a franchise. They have basically been stuck in neutral for the last 15 years, and when they have a player like Barnes in the building they need to do everything they can to keep him around. The Boston Celtics are hoping to solidify themselves as legitimate contenders for the next three or four seasons at the least.

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