With so much uncertainty surrounding the NBA’s offseason, the Boston Celtics can bolster their depth by trading away one of their highest paid players.
Free agents this offseason may be out of luck. With few top talents set to hit the open market–especially relative to the free agent class of 2021 — players may opt in to their player options for more economic certainty. That includes Boston Celtics’ veteran wing Gordon Hayward‘s $34 million option.
Hayward represents the second largest cap figure on the C’s just behind All-Star point guard Kemba Walker. However, his place in the Celtics hierarchy continues to slip as the seasons go by while Danny Ainge‘s lottery picks from the 2013 Billy King/ Brooklyn Nets trade heist — Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown –continue their progressions towards stardom.
Tatum is the team’s new go-to option, having earned that from his dominant February performance. Even after Walker returned from injury, it was Tatum who was the team’s top shot-taker. Brown has similarly raised his game to a career-best level, topping the 20 point per game plateau while stuffing the rest of the stat sheet with 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent shooting from deep.
Hayward is a former All-Star in his own right, with a game best suited for a leading role. Though his 3-point conversion rate suggests he can be an ancillary sniper, he has made a living off of his aggressive first step to the rim and his finishing ability in the paint.
The fit in Boston was originally supposed to be a 1A match with Isaiah Thomas before the team swapped in Kyrie Irving. Since then, though, Brown and Tatum have taken his place and the team has achieved great things without him. Their 2018 playoff run was led by the youngsters while Hayward was on the sidelines.
Moving forward, it might be best to unleash his full potential elsewhere while recouping value and depth from his massive salary cap figure. Here are two deals that can achieve just that this off-season: