What Could Have Happened to Gordon Hayward and the Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
“It’s getting really crazy, G.”
Kyrie Irving couldn’t have been more right when he made that statement to Gordon Hayward during their joint press conference at TD Garden seven years ago. Even though it was the exact opposite of what Boston Celtics fans expected.
When Hayward announced his surprise retirement on Thursday at 34, it shot us back like a time machine to 2017. If the overwhelming emotion you feel about the Hayward era in Boston is to wonder what might have been, don’t let it mask the sense of hope that existed before it all fell apart so quickly.
There was a buzz surrounding the Celtics in the summer of 2017. Isaiah Thomas had just led the team on a magical journey to the Eastern Conference finals before his body gave out. Boston traded away the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, but added Jayson Tatum a year after drafting Jaylen Brown . The future truly felt limitless, especially as Boston entered the offseason with the cap space to pursue another veteran star.
Enter Hayward. From the moment Brad Stevens took over as head coach of the Celtics in 2013, pundits wondered whether he would join forces with Hayward after the duo led Butler to the doorstep of an NCAA title at Butler University.
It felt like speculation out of thin air as Hayward blossomed into one of the league’s elite in Utah. But then he hit the free-agent market, and the Celtics soon whisked him to Fenway Park as part of a pitch that earned him a four-year, $128 million contract.
The Celtics had Hayward, Thomas and Al Horford as their core. Tatum and Jaylen Brown provided hope for a sustainable future, especially after a dazzling July debut in Utah, just as the Celtics were chasing Hayward with “Stayward” billboards around town imploring him to remain with the Jazz.
Wyc Grousbeck often spoke of fireworks and how fitting it was that the Celtics finalized Hayward’s deal on July 4, 2017. (Well, not without a false start that could have been a precursor to what his entire tenure in green would look like.)
Things didn’t go exactly according to plan from that point on. Hayward was set to be a focal point upon his arrival. But the Celtics soon made a stunning trade, sending Thomas to Cleveland in exchange for Irving.
By the time the Celtics introduced Hayward on Sept. 1, Irving was the star attraction. Poor Hayward, resplendent in his green blazer, sat silently for most of the conference, with most of the questions directed at Irving.
“This is getting really crazy, G.” Sigh.
For a brief time, it was the good old madness. The Celtics headed to Newport, R.I., to open training camp at the Salve Regina campus, and even the small glimpses of their new team showed promise. In the team’s final preseason game in Charlotte, the Celtics trotted out a starting five of Hayward, Irving, Horford, Tatum and Brown and tore the Hornets to pieces in the first half.
The fairy tale ended pretty much there.
You know the rest. Opening night in Cleveland. Hayward’s ankle breaks in the opening moments. You still feel the knot in your stomach from watching everything that happens.
From that moment on, nothing was the same for the Celtics — and neither was Hayward.
Hayward did everything he could to get healthy and help the Celtics take their next step. Irving was eventually injured late in the 2017-18 season as well, and the evolution of Tatum and Brown only made the Celtics’ long-term situation murkier. A disastrous 2019 season followed, and soon both Irving and Horford were gone.
Hayward ultimately played in just 125 regular-season games in Boston, making just 71 starts. Hayward missed the birth of one of his daughters to remain in the bubble in 2020 despite an ankle injury that limited his availability.
The Celtics eventually facilitated a sign-and-trade that brought Hayward to Charlotte. It was an anticlimax for both parties: the Celtics saw Hayward leave with nothing in return, while Hayward took a large payout rather than move to a potentially more desirable location (like his hometown Pacers).
There would be no fairytale ending to the Stevens/Hayward reunion. The Celtics sputtered the following season, and both Ainge and Stevens, central figures in the saga, left their posts.
Everything worked out well for Boston. Ainge’s choices, combined with Stevens’ bungling, carried the team to two Finals appearances and ultimately Banner 18 last June.
But it’s still jarring to think that seven years have passed since Hayward’s addition. It’s wild to watch him and Kemba Walker, another star whose body defied him in green, ride off into the sunset this summer after playing such important roles in the development of Boston’s current core.
You can’t help but wonder, “What if?” What if Hayward never gets injured? Do the Celtics compete for a title in 2018? Do things not spiral out of control like they did in 2019? What would a long-term stay in Boston look like for a healthy Hayward? And is he still playing today?
Think back to that feeling in July of 2017. Think back to how good Hayward was in Utah. Think back to how good this core looked in those small glimpses in the 2017 preseason.
It was going to be a madhouse, G. But now it’s just a madhouse that Gordon Hayward has retired.
