Gordon Hayward appears to be done in Boston based on his actions on Thursday.
Hayward declined his $34 million player option with the Celtics. That’s an extremely high salary to turn down, especially at a time when NBA teams are facing financial struggles.
So why would Hayward surrender such a large salary? Likely because he knows there is a promising offer elsewhere. Players have agents who know the market and communicate with teams interested in their clients.
Additionally, SI’s Chris Mannix said on NBC Sports Boston that he doesn’t think Hayward is returning to the Celtics.
Opting out of his contract means Hayward is a free agent, so he still could re-sign with Boston. But it seems like he is headed elsewhere. You can also figure pretty confidently that whatever he gets in free agency will be for much more in total guaranteed dollars than the $34 million he was set to get next season.
We have already heard about two Eastern Conference teams that have interest in the forward.
Photo: Erik Drost/Flickr via cc-by-sa 2.0
