Boston Celtics: 3 ways Cs can break Lakers tie for banner No. 18

No. 2) Look to move Gordon Hayward

Another year, another postseason in which Gordon Hayward did not show up.

Look, I understand this phrasing may be harsh, as it is most certainly not his fault that his tenure with the Boston Celtics has been ravaged by injuries — last season, while he was physically healthy, mentally he obviously was not back –, but the fact still remains, since signing his lucrative $128M contract back in the summer of 2017 the one-time All-Star has brought them no closer to winning a title than they were prior to his arrival.

Now, with him likely opting into the fourth and final year of his deal, it would appear the forward will be coming into 2020-21 as the second-highest-paid player on the team but is likely to perform like the fourth-best, with the ever-present risk of him not lasting the entire year looming within our minds.

Because of this, it might be a wise decision by the C’s front office to look for takers for Hayward in exchange for players who could better help the team push for glory.

Recently, rumors have started to fluctuate about a potential swap with the Pacers involving the Indiana product heading home for 24-year-old dual-threat big man Myles Turner, along with quality reserve pieces like Doug McDermott and Jeremy Lamb to help strengthen their second unit scoring punch, which really proved to be a problem down the stretch.

If the front office can somehow use Hayward’s expiring contract to better fill out the roster moving forward, they must jump at the opportunity.