Celtics fans all raise the exact same question after Gordon Hayward retires
Gordon Hayward retired from the NBA on August 1, and in the immediate aftermath, many Boston Celtics fans couldn't help but wonder how things could've transpired in Boston had the forward been healthy during his time in green.
Hayward signed a four-year, $128 million deal in 2017 free agency to be the No. 2 option to fellow star acquisition Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, No. 20 never got to be anything close to that after fracturing his left ankle just minutes into his C's debut.
Between his benching during the 2018-19 season and struggles in the 2020 postseason Bubble, Hayward's stardom slowly faded. With the Charlotte Hornets, his numbers returned to a near-All-Star level, but his team's lack of success pigeon-holed him as a bad team box score-stuffer.
Had his injury not happened, it's unclear how history would've been altered. After Hayward called it a career, there was a clear prevailing narrative: What if Hayward never suffered the devastating injury that derailed his Celtics career?
I will never forget how excited I was when Gordon Hayward joined the Celtics. "It's about to be crazy, G!", you know. And then the worst possible thing happened in his very first game for Boston. One of the biggest "what-ifs" in modern Celtics history.
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) August 1, 2024
Enjoy your retirement, G. https://t.co/PqHIYiRXXv
Thought Gordon Hayward could have helped a playoff team in their rotation this season. He was better than his short stint with the Thunder showed.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 1, 2024
But when it's time, it's time. His Celtics tenure will always be a fascinating "What if...?".
Wishing Hayward the best in retirement.
— GreenRunsDeep (@CelticsGRD) August 1, 2024
Once a Celtic Always a Celtic.
I’ll always be sad that we never got to see what could have been 💔 https://t.co/M4sIq1GAVF
Hayward’s Celtics run is one of underrated what if’s in recent NBA history. If those Celtics teams stay healthy it’d be fun to see how much things change in the league. They could’ve very easily won a few titles or he could’ve gotten in the way of Brown/Tatum developing.
— Logan (@lalten_nba) August 1, 2024
I can’t believe the Celtics only got 5 minutes of elite Hayward https://t.co/tkro2ZzLPk
— Noah (@NewAbnormal___) August 1, 2024
It all worked out for Celtics fans after Gordon Hayward didn't work out
It's hard to say everything worked out for the best for Celtics fans after Hayward flamed out in Boston, as a healthy Hayward may have expedited the team's rise to a championship level.
But after the Cs had to overcome Hayward's health and all of the Kyrie Irving drama. it was the two home-grown drafted stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who led the way. And that was satisfying on a deeper level.
While Hayward and Irving could've helped the team win in the post-Golden State Warriors dynasty era, or perhaps during it, Tatum and Brown got to develop into elite players and are now both on supermax deals for years to come.
Who knows? Had Irving and Hayward worked out and stayed around, maybe the front office would've considered trading Tatum or Brown before they became expensive.
Few Celtics fans would trade the team's current position for anything. It all worked out in the end, even if Hayward will always be the franchise's greatest "what if?"
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