The Boston Celtics are still trying to figure out how to make up for the loss of Gordon Hayward. Having him around this season certainly could have helped the Celtics cope with the loss of Kemba Walker, but instead he’s beginning the first of four years with the Charlotte Hornets after signing a $120 million deal.
Speaking to the Charlotte Observer, Hayward said going to Charlotte was about finding the right fit.
“I wanted a fresh start. I wanted a place where I could try to maximize who I was as a basketball player,” Hayward said. “Boston has a lot of great players, especially on the wing position: Guys who can do a lot of different things, like myself.
“I just wanted to kind of maximize what I was.”
$120 million dollars certainly helps maximize who you are, but the fresh start seems to be as much about exorcising demons as it is making a few extra million.
The tone of the piece (which requires you to sign up for a free account), is about Hayward taking a leadership role with the Hornets, something he never seemed to be able to do with Boston.
After the horrific ankle injury cost him one season, a second surgery to remove the plate from his ankle cost him a summer of rehab going into his second season. That forced him to rehab on the fly, which was part of Kyrie Irving’s doomed final season.
After that, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had ascended to more prominent roles, and Marcus Smart had grown into the vocal locker room leader. Hayward was reduced to supporting cast member, but he wanted a starring role.
So now he’s doing that in Charlotte, and already dealing with an injury. He plans on playing through a fractured pinkie finger in his right hand for now, but it’s unclear how that will be handled.
Hayward had the right to opt out and leave he has his priorities, and as much as fans want players wearing their favorite team’s jersey to demonstrate loyalty to their city, their only loyalty is to themselves and their families. As Hayward said in the piece:
“My family is my life. We have four kids now,” Hayward said. “Basketball is my job, but they’re why I do it.”
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