Former Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward is already up to his old tricks, getting injured before the season gets into full swing after signing a max contract the offseason before.
Look, I consistently wrote pieces about the Boston Celtics trading away Gordon Hayward after his tenure quickly went south following a debilitating leg injury in his very first game in uniform. It wasn’t because he wasn’t a capable player…it always had to do with the fact that he could not possibly be a return on that investment.
Lo and behold, it looks like the very team he was (sign-and-)traded to is now facing the very same dilemma. The Charlotte Hornets are a strangely put together roster. Three of their five best players all belong at the point guard spot (Terry Rozier, Devonte Graham, LaMelo Ball) while they feature three true power forwards in Miles Bridges, Cody Zeller, and P.J. Washington.
Hayward actually makes sense for this team given his positional versatility. That said, it doesn’t make sense for a team that finished in ninth place and just drafted their point guard of the future to invest so much into one player that doesn’t even guarantee them a postseason spot.
That’s what Charlotte just did, and they’ll have to live with it. Who knows? Hayward may regain that vintage Utah Jazz form Boston Celtics fans were clamoring to see in his three years in green and white.
That said, his tenure has already begun on a sour note, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN:
"Gordon Hayward’s bad luck with injuries appears to have followed him to Charlotte.Hayward, who signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the Hornets last month after spending the past three seasons with the Boston Celtics, suffered an avulsion fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his right (shooting) hand during Charlotte’s 112-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday.The Hornets said his return will be based on pain tolerance and comfort level."
The Houdini wants Hayward to succeed and always has. Even if he one day helps contribute to the Los Angeles Lakers winning another banner, Hayward will have always given up the chance to see the birth of his fourth child to be with the Cs in the Lake Buena Vista bubble during the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Good luck in Charlotte (where I was coincidentally catching a layover flight when the news was announced) and make sure to bring your best when you return to the TD Garden.