Gordon Hayward: Isaiah Thomas had big role in recruiting me to Boston

The Boston Celtics can thank a player who’s not even on the team for helping them recruit their biggest free agent

Gordon Hayward wrote a blog post on Thursday for his website in which he discussed his choice to sign with the Celtics. In the article, Hayward addressed the Isaiah Thomas/Kyrie Irving blockbuster trade that saw Thomas dealt to Cleveland.

Here’s Hayward talking about Thomas:

That was a really strange moment because I’d really been looking forward to playing with him. He didn’t just help recruit me to Boston—he was a big piece of that recruitment. He had talked a lot about city and how it was different to be a Celtic. He talked about the intensity of playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, playing at the Garden in the playoffs, and how much fun it was, and how much fun he had playing in Boston.

All of that ultimately helped win me over. And by the time of the trade, I had already started to build a little bit of a relationship with him.

Hayward said he still reached out to Irving and is excited about playing with the former Cavs star point guard, but it’s clear he was also looking forward to playing with Thomas.

The longtime former Jazz forward also discussed how tough it was to leave Utah, saying the decision tore him apart.

Hayward, 27, reached his first All-Star Game last season. He says he is only improving.