Boston Celtics: 3 free agent destinations for Gordon Hayward

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 12: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on December 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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Boston Celtics (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

New York Knicks

Of course, winning may not be the priority motivation for Hayward if he leaves the Boston Celtics. It very well could be a combination of money, notoriety and once again being the “man” on offense again like he was in Utah.

No destination can offer Hayward all of these amenities quite like the New York Knicks can. In orange and blue, Hayward would be the most popular star in a city that needs a savior since the departures of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis.

The Knicks can open up two max-contract slots as soon as this off-season due to their short-term spending in 2019. After they whiffed on bringing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks front office signed a slew of one-year agreements with team options on the second year.

Only Julius Randle was brought in on a multi-year deal, but even he can be dealt this off-season being on a team-friendly deal that isn’t fully guaranteed in 2021-22. The path to bringing Hayward into the mix and making him the #1 option on offense is a simple one for the downtrodden franchise.

Hayward would be the centerpiece of a core that also includes R.J. Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox. If those guys could take a step forward, perhaps New York could end its eight-year playoff drought.

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