What Could Have Happened to Gordon Hayward and the Celtics originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
“It’s about to be crazy, G.”
Kyrie Irving couldn’t have been more correct when he made that statement to Gordon Hayward at their joint introductory press conference at TD Garden seven years ago. Even if it was the exact opposite kind of madness that Boston Celtics fans expected.
When Hayward announced his surprise retirement on Thursday at age 34, it took us back to 2017 like a time machine. If the overwhelming emotion you feel about the Hayward Era in Boston is imagining what could have been, don’t let that mask the sense of hope that existed before everything 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 run to the Eastern Conference Finals before his body gave out. Boston traded away the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft but added Jayson Tatum a year after signing Jaylen Brown. The future truly seemed limitless, especially with Boston entering the offseason with room to pursue another veteran star.
Enter Hayward. From the moment Brad Stevens took over as head coach of the Celtics in 2013, pundits wondered if he could join forces with Hayward after that duo led Butler to the doorstep of an NCAA title at Butler University.
It seemed like wild speculation as Hayward blossomed into one of the league’s elite in Utah. But then he hit the free agent market and soon the Celtics brought him to Fenway Park as part of a trade that netted him a four-year contract worth $128 million.
The Celtics had Hayward, Thomas and Al Horford as their core. Tatum and Jaylen Brown offered hope for a sustained future, especially after a dazzling July debut in Utah at a time when the Celtics were in pursuit of Hayward with “Stayward” billboards all over the city imploring him to remain with the Jazz .
Wyc Grousbeck often talked about fireworks and how appropriate it was that the Celtics got Hayward’s commitment on July 4, 2017. (Well, not without a false start This may have foreshadowed how his entire Green tenure would be defined.)
Things never went as planned from then on. Hayward should be a focal point in his addition. But the Celtics soon made a jaw-dropping trade by sending Thomas to Cleveland in exchange for Irving.
When the Celtics introduced Hayward on September 1, Irving was the main attraction. Poor Hayward, resplendent in his green blazer, was silent for much of the conference, with most of the questions directed at Irving.
“It’s about to be crazy, G.” Sigh.
For a short time, it was good madness. The Celtics traveled to Newport, RI, to open training camp at the Salve Regina campus, and even the small glimpses of their new look showed their potential. At the end of the team’s preseason in Charlotte, the Celtics introduced five starters: Hayward, Irving, Horford, Tatum and Brown and completely destroyed the Hornets in the first half.
The fairy tale ended right there.
You know the rest. Opening night in Cleveland. Hayward’s ankle was broken in the opening moments. You may still feel that pit in your stomach as you watch it all unfold.
Nothing was the same for the Celtics – or Hayward – from then on.
Hayward did everything he could to stay healthy and try to help the Celtics take the next step. Irving also ended up getting injured late in the 2017-18 season, and the development of Tatum and Brown has only further muddied the Celtics’ long-term situation. A disastrous 2019 campaign followed and soon Irving and Horford were gone.
Ultimately, Hayward only played 125 regular season games in Boston and made 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 delivered Hayward to Charlotte. It was an anticlimactic ending for both sides: The Celtics watched Hayward walk with basically no return, while Hayward settled for a big payday rather than be moved to a potentially more desirable location (like his hometown Pacers).
There would be no storybook ending to the Stevens/Hayward reunion. The Celtics failed the following season and both Ainge and Stevens, central figures in this saga, left their positions.
It all ended well for Boston. Ainge’s choices, combined with Stevens’ adjustments, led the team to two finals and ultimately Banner 18 last June.
But it’s still shocking to think that seven years have passed since Hayward’s addition. It’s incredible to see him and Kemba Walker, another star whose body challenged him in green, ride off into the sunset this summer after being instrumental in the development of Boston’s current core.
You can’t help but wonder, “What if?” What if Hayward never gets hurt? Will the Celtics compete for a title in 2018? Things don’t go off the rails like they did in 2019? What would a long-term stay in Boston have been like for a healthy Hayward? And does he still play today?
Just remember that feeling from July 2017. Remember how good Hayward was in Utah. Remember how good this core looked in those little glimpses of the 2017 preseason.
It was about to be crazy, G. But now it’s crazy that Gordon Hayward has retired.
