Gordon Hayward wrestled with his feelings a little bit or at least led us to believe that, but he ultimately chose Boston and their $128 million offer. This is great for Hayward and Boston except for one small detail, Boston apparently doesn’t have enough cap space to give Hayward a $128 million contract. Oops. Boston needs help to get Hayward signed, and they are hoping that the team Hayward dumped, the Utah Jazz, can offer some assistance via a sign and trade deal.
Here are more details from Woj:
The Jazz and Celtics discussed on Wednesday the possibility of including Crowder in a sign-and-trade agreement for Hayward, league sources said, which would be cap beneficial for Boston.
Ultimately, Hayward himself will have to agree to a sign-and-trade, which could be perceived as a farewell gift to the Jazz franchise that drafted and developed him into an NBA All-Star. Crowder had been publicly critical of the Celtics pursuit of Hayward during the 2016-’17 season, in part, perhaps, because he’d be the player most impacted by Hayward’s arrival.
Boston has also discussed moving Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart in a sign and trade scenario as well to clear enough cap room. A sign and trade would be a win-win for both sides, as Utah would at least get something in return for Hayward and Boston would get the player they have been targeting since Brad Stevens started coaching in the league.