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Atlanta Hawks

The final team on this list is perhaps the most interesting. Atlanta has their franchise star in Trae Young, but outside of him there is a need for top-tier talent. Young famously got upset at the team’s lack of support around him, and in turn he was reassured help would be on the way.

Hayward would be the kind of star-studded addition that could complete Atlanta’s lineup. A core of Young-Hayward-Collins-Capela figures to contend for the playoffs. With Atlanta having another top pick in the 2020 draft and recent draftees Kevin Huerter, DeAndre Hunter and Cam Reddish supplementing the group, the Hawks would be a deep team with a mix of youth and veterans.

No team would make a greater leap with the addition of Hayward than the Hawks. As Young progresses as an All-Star to an All-NBA guard (perhaps even an MVP candidate eventually), the Hawks need to make sure they surround him with the proper talent.
Hayward is the proper talent. With money being no issue and the chance to be the #2 option on offense, the Hawks are perhaps the most intriguing option for Hayward in free agency.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/hardwoodhoudini.com/2020/04/04/boston-celtics-3-free-agent-hayward/amp/4/

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I don't know what is up with Hayward, he has been overrated everywhere he goes.

He is like a worst version of Joe Johnson, overpaid, low production, and no wins.

2020-21: $34,187,085 {Player Option}

He needs to opt out of 34m.
I prefer us to not pursue him.

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atlantabbq99 wrote:I don't know what is up with Hayward, he has been overrated everywhere he goes.

He is like a worst version of Joe Johnson, overpaid, low production, and no wins.

Exactly. Po' man's Joe

At best, he was a borderline all-star. Yet people talk about him like he's a #1 option. And, because he finally nutted up and was playable in the playoffs his last year in UTA, people choose to forget he was consistently a playoff choker.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2020/10/atlantic-notes-raptors-hayward-knicks-vassell-nets.html

Ya know. If news breaks that Hayward declines his option, honestly, look out. I could imagine Schlenk having quietly offered $60m/3yrs, and getting a "yes."

Some believe IND is hot for him, of course. That would require a trade.

_s_t_u_r_t_ wrote:

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2020/10/atlantic-notes-raptors-hayward-knicks-vassell-nets.html

Ya know. If news breaks that Hayward declines his option, honestly, look out. I could imagine Schlenk having quietly offered $60m/3yrs, and getting a "yes."

It's his wife's decision like everything else in his life....let me look her up.

She's from Indiana.

Good luck to us.

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Speculation from the Celtics version of Brad Rowland...

https://clutchpoints.com/could-gordon-hayward-sign-with-hawks-over-celtics-free-agency/

Gordon is the leader of that team.

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Financially, it makes sense for Hayward to opt in for the final year. $30+ million for a single season is hard to turn down in this financial climate.

If that happens, I'd gladly take on his contract for the #14 pick in the draft. Boston would balk at that, but likely offer #26 and/or #30 to absorb him into our cap space.


Would that be enough to take on 1 season of a perennially injured, underachieving vet at a position of need?

Jamaaliver wrote:Financially, it makes sense for Hayward to opt in for the final year. $30+ million for a single season is hard to turn down in this financial climate.

If that happens, I'd gladly take on his contract for the #14 pick in the draft. Boston would balk at that, but likely offer #26 and/or #30 to absorb him into our cap space.


Would that be enough to take on 1 season of a perennially injured, underachieving vet at a position of need?

I'd take him and #14 straight up into our capspace. $34 mil is a ton to take on.
Just not interested in giving up anything to do it.

Jamaaliver wrote:Financially, it makes sense for Hayward to opt in for the final year. $30+ million for a single season is hard to turn down in this financial climate.

If that happens, I'd gladly take on his contract for the #14 pick in the draft. Boston would balk at that, but likely offer #26 and/or #30 to absorb him into our cap space.


Would that be enough to take on 1 season of a perennially injured, underachieving vet at a position of need?

Nope.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/260119/Gordon-Hayward-Interested-In-Leaving-Celtics-Via-Trade-Or-Free-Agency


It's hard for me to imagine this is even a discussion if there wasn't some reason to believe unofficial offers have been made and Hayward's legitimately considering taking one.

And of course, short of a sign-and-trade, there's only a very few teams such as our own that can make a serious offer.

Hayward isn't necessarily my favorite option. But he is an option. He fits for us in a lot of ways. But like Dipo, it's all about what the price tag would be.

If you can come out of the off-season having added Hayward to take minutes at SF and at PF, then Christian Wood to take minutes at PF and C, and Tyrese Haliburton to take minutes at PG and SG, that's three fairly potent adds to the roster.


But to be clear.... I'm mainly only on board with that as a free agent deal, where he opts out, and we sign-on with him for something like $20m for the next 3 years ($60m-ish total).

THAT (his opting out) is what's being discussed as a previously unanticipated possibility.

No trade.

It just limits us too much in free agency otherwise for this off-season.

Gordon Hayward has 34.1 million reasons to pick up his player option with the Celtics, but the forward reportedly wants out of Boston if he can find the right deal elsewhere.

Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Ryen Russillo said he’s heard that Hayward does want to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Celtics. But he’ll only walk away from that $34.1 million payday for the 2020-21 season if he knows there is a better deal out there for him.

“I heard Gordon Hayward does want out, but I don’t know if he’s going to get the money He’s not opting out of that huge number unless he knows he’s getting the deal,” Russillo said Wednesday. “That could be an Atlanta solution even though it doesn’t make a ton of sense. But I could also understand Atlanta saying, ‘Hey, whatever, we didn’t have to give up anything. We used all this cap space. We’ll figure out which young players we want to play.’ But does Gordon Hayward not like the current situation in Boston enough to then want to go ahead and play with Trae Young and watch him shoot a million times? I don’t know.”

We’ve heard a lot about Hayward wanting to join his hometown Indiana Pacers, but the Atlanta Hawks is a new one. But for a team that is looking to compete now with its solid young core, Hayward’s do-everything game would certainly help get the Hawks into the playoff conversation.

CBS Boston

Did Bill Simmons write that article? “and watch him shoot a million times” what the hell?

Bill Simmons and Gordon Hayward both suck.

My thoughts on this...if we can absorb Hayward into our cap space for a single season, we have to go for it. We ask for draft compensation, but getting him for nothing on a one year deal is still a boon for us.

And if Hayward comes in as a starter, it needs to be at SG with Cam or Hunter as the defensive SF next to him...ideally Hunter.

5 best free agency options for Gordon Hayward if he leaves the Celtics



2. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have a good amount of cap space this offseason. The team desperately needs a scoring wing alongside Trae Young and John Collins; Hayward fits that bill despite no longer being an All-Star in the NBA. In 2019-20, Hayward averaged 17.5 points per game for the Celtics while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line. That’s the type of production the Hawks would love to get from their third scoring option behind Young and Collins.

Atlanta could have a starting five of Young, Kevin Huerter, Hayward, Collins and Clint Capela. Hayward is a solid 3-point shooter who would space the floor well for the Hawks, especially when Young is driving to the basket and drawing multiple defenders.

Clutch Points

Jamaaliver wrote:My thoughts on this...if we can absorb Hayward into our cap space for a single season, we have to go for it. We ask for draft compensation, but getting him for nothing on a one year deal is still a boon for us.

And if Hayward comes in as a starter, it needs to be at SG with Cam or Hunter as the defensive SF next to him...ideally Hunter.

The Atlanta Hawks have a good amount of cap space this offseason. The team desperately needs a scoring wing alongside Trae Young and John Collins; Hayward fits that bill despite no longer being an All-Star in the NBA. In 2019-20, Hayward averaged 17.5 points per game for the Celtics while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line. That’s the type of production the Hawks would love to get from their third scoring option behind Young and Collins.

Atlanta could have a starting five of Young, Kevin Huerter, Hayward, Collins and Clint Capela. Hayward is a solid 3-point shooter who would space the floor well for the Hawks, especially when Young is driving to the basket and drawing multiple defenders.

Clutch Points[/quote]
I'd be against doing it without compensation. I don't trust in his ability to stay healthy for 72 games. He can easily become a $34 million dollar suit wearer. He'll have to waive his trade kicker which is an additional $4 mil ish, that'll leave 8 mil to fill in the rest of the roster at PG and PF.

As I've been saying literally and perhaps obnoxiously for months and months, but will say again... no one should be surprised, having aggragated his comments not just recently but over the years he's been GM, to see Schlenk obsessed to add what he considers to be the most high-tier talent(s) for 3-4 seasons of Hawks control that he possibly can this off-season. He has great advantage this off-season over next off-season b/c his competition is so limited, and at the same time, he has great disadvantage this off-season compared to next b/c the options are so limited.

If it does turn-out that Hayward opts out, and Schlenk successfully pursues Hayward, I believe what we'll hear in that press conference is that he believes Hayward would be a veteran of 2-3 All-Star Games by now if not for the injury... and what he won't say but will be implied is that this is the kind of higher-risk situation that the Hawks have to accept if they're going to add a high-tier talent.