Boston Celtics: The one team Gordon Hayward can elevate to a contender

While the Boston Celtics will want their 2017 All-Star back in uniform in 2020-21, it is possible Gordon Hayward is able to elevate this one franchise to contender status instead.

Whether you love or, well, not love the polarizing Gordon Hayward, we can all agree he has plenty to contribute to an NBA franchise–whether that is the Boston Celtics or one of the association’s other 29 teams.

Hayward may be overpaid at this stage of his career, but Danny Ainge could not have foreseen a catastrophic leg injury and the fallout from that when he signed the former Utah Jazz star to a four-year max contract in 2017.

That said, he is showing in 2019-20 that he is far from done as an NBA starter, even if he no longer qualifies as a top option in Boston. He is shooting 50 percent from the field while slashing just below 40 percent from the 3-point line.

This season on the Boston Celtics, Hayward has slipped to the fourth spot in the pecking order. Granted, he was coming off the bench last season while ceding minutes to guys like Marcus Morris, who was always a tenuous fit at best. But, anyone making $34 million should be a top priority in the offense.

The problem is that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown‘s growth is more important than getting Hayward his touches at this stage. Kemba Walker, an All-NBA point guard, shouldn’t be taking a backseat in the offense either.

So, as it stands, Hayward’s ceiling is somewhat limited in Beantown. Luckily for Hayward, he has a chance to expand his horizons in either of the next two summers in free agency. There should be no shortage of teams that could line up to corral his services.

Among them are rebuilding teams that can make him a centerpiece in Atlanta and New York. The Knicks could make Hayward their top star in the short-term, while Trae Young could use a second star in to elevate the Hawks to the playoffs.

If winning is important, then perhaps the Miami Heat are a better fit for Hayward. In 2017, Pat Riley had his eyes on Hayward. With the team looking like they could be a piece away from rising the ranks in the east, Hayward could be Jimmy Butler‘s costar in South Beach.

That may not be the best scenario for Hayward though, considering the abrasive nature of Butler’s leadership and the abundance of scorers in Miami’s lineup.

With all of that said, there is one team that is both a current playoff contender and one that will be in the playoff conversation for the years to come. That team is owned by Mark Cuban and is represents the Metroplex. I’m of course talking about the Dallas Mavericks.

What makes the Mavs such a good fit for Hayward? Well for starters, they have a need for perimeter scoring and playmaking outside of their wunderkind Luka Dioncic. While Dioncic has established himself as a quasi-MVP candidate and an All-Star starter in the Western Conference, he has little in the way of a secondary shot-creator.

What he does have is an exciting seven-foot-three unicorn big in Kristaps Porzingis. Dioncic and Porzingis could use an established veteran to help guide them through the playoff waters…waters they may not be swimming in if the 2019-20 season is cancelled.

With Porzingis able to dominate the mid-range and the paint, and Dioncic able to create basketball magic from anywhere on the court, the addition of Hayward could give opposing defenses headaches trying to shut down his dives to the basket and contain his 3-point marksmanship around Dallas’ two stars.

In terms of big-3’s, few around the league would be as well rounded as the Mavericks’. Having an elite floor general, an elite big man and a do-it-all wing would make Dallas an instant contender. It’d be a tough pill for Boston Celtics fans to swallow, but if he can’t reach his highest gear in Beantown, Hayward should consider the Mavericks as his next home.