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Rock Strongo
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Hayward is perfect for Boston. Had the Pacers waited five days, the Celtics might have Paul George, too. When the league lowered its cap projection from about $101 million to $99 million, it became trickier for Boston to acquire George before free agency and leave enough space for Hayward.
With Hayward aboard, Boston would have at least revived its draft-day offer: two starters and three picks from among Boston's own first-rounders and protected selections coming from the Clippers and Grizzlies. They might have even shoved in one of their golden chips -- next season's Brooklyn pick or the Lakers-Kings pick they snagged in the Markelle Fultz deal -- to get across the goal line. Indiana will never know.
Brad Stevens prefers a democratic offense. He wants Isaiah Thomas taking a handoff on the right wing, zipping toward the middle of the floor, sucking in help defenders, and flinging the rock to Hayward on the weak side -- in time for a second pick-and-roll against a scrambled defense. Each action flows into the next. It will be liquid. There will be no buffering.
Hayward is a crafty scorer with a sneaky explosiveness and a deep bag of leaning midrange shots. He adds something to his game every summer. Last season, he weaponized an off-the-dribble 3-pointer that will be even more dangerous as he rockets off picks from Al Horford; Hayward hit 41 percent of his pull-up 3s last season, fourth-best among 57 guys who jacked at least 1.5 such shots per game.
He is a rugged, willing defender who can stick with shooting guards and put up a fight against some power forwards -- a must-have for Boston's crunch-time small-ball units. He should be an automatic All-Star in the weak sister conference. That had to appeal.
Boston earned this with one of the greatest rebuilds in sports history. The Celtics aren't even supposed to be here now, eyeing LeBron. Fleecing Brooklyn was about Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and those extra picks. It was about 2020 and beyond. Along the way, they nailed the side moves too many teams neglect -- or fail to notice at all. They stole Isaiah Thomas. They insisted on Jae Crowder as a throw-in to the Rajon Rondo trade. Boom: Forty percent of the starting lineup on a conference finals team, from found money.
Being good drew Horford. Getting better drew Hayward. Now Boston can play for 2018 and 2022. Hayward is a half-decade-plus older than Tatum and Brown, but their presence -- and those future picks -- factored into his calculus, even if players so young are rarely ready to win alongside a prime-aged star. Maybe those two are, though; Brown looks it. And if Hayward sticks in Boston, they represent successors ready to carry him into his 30s.
Hayward will cost Boston some depth. Kelly Olynyk, Mr. Game 7, is gone to Miami, and Boston probably needs to dump one of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and Marcus Smart to fit Hayward. The Celtics are staring at an expensive future. Thomas will be a free agent next summer, and re-signing him would bring Boston close to the luxury tax line. Keeping just one of the trio into 2018-19 would launch them over it.
Each of those three has represented a crucial bridge between the veteran stars and the kiddos. Bradley is a free agent next summer; Crowder's cheapo deal runs two years longer, which gave him the most trade value. But it also made him the one Boston could most realistically afford. Boston is also thin up front, and Crowder can log a lot of time at power forward.
As built now, Boston needs one of the two remaining players from this trio on its roster two seasons from now. Who will it be?
[Update: It is down to Crowder and Smart after Boston agreed Friday to flip Bradley to Detroit for Marcus Morris, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Boston loses some shooting and one key starter, but in Morris, they get back another switchy wing capable of sharing some power forward duty. Morris is also on a ridiculous under-market deal that pay hims $10.3 million combined over the next two seasons. The trade could mean the end of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Detroit, thought the Pistons still have enough room under the hard cap to match an offer sheet starting around $16.5 million.]
With Hayward aboard, Boston would have at least revived its draft-day offer: two starters and three picks from among Boston's own first-rounders and protected selections coming from the Clippers and Grizzlies. They might have even shoved in one of their golden chips -- next season's Brooklyn pick or the Lakers-Kings pick they snagged in the Markelle Fultz deal -- to get across the goal line. Indiana will never know.
Brad Stevens prefers a democratic offense. He wants Isaiah Thomas taking a handoff on the right wing, zipping toward the middle of the floor, sucking in help defenders, and flinging the rock to Hayward on the weak side -- in time for a second pick-and-roll against a scrambled defense. Each action flows into the next. It will be liquid. There will be no buffering.
Hayward is a crafty scorer with a sneaky explosiveness and a deep bag of leaning midrange shots. He adds something to his game every summer. Last season, he weaponized an off-the-dribble 3-pointer that will be even more dangerous as he rockets off picks from Al Horford; Hayward hit 41 percent of his pull-up 3s last season, fourth-best among 57 guys who jacked at least 1.5 such shots per game.
He is a rugged, willing defender who can stick with shooting guards and put up a fight against some power forwards -- a must-have for Boston's crunch-time small-ball units. He should be an automatic All-Star in the weak sister conference. That had to appeal.
Boston earned this with one of the greatest rebuilds in sports history. The Celtics aren't even supposed to be here now, eyeing LeBron. Fleecing Brooklyn was about Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and those extra picks. It was about 2020 and beyond. Along the way, they nailed the side moves too many teams neglect -- or fail to notice at all. They stole Isaiah Thomas. They insisted on Jae Crowder as a throw-in to the Rajon Rondo trade. Boom: Forty percent of the starting lineup on a conference finals team, from found money.
Being good drew Horford. Getting better drew Hayward. Now Boston can play for 2018 and 2022. Hayward is a half-decade-plus older than Tatum and Brown, but their presence -- and those future picks -- factored into his calculus, even if players so young are rarely ready to win alongside a prime-aged star. Maybe those two are, though; Brown looks it. And if Hayward sticks in Boston, they represent successors ready to carry him into his 30s.
Hayward will cost Boston some depth. Kelly Olynyk, Mr. Game 7, is gone to Miami, and Boston probably needs to dump one of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and Marcus Smart to fit Hayward. The Celtics are staring at an expensive future. Thomas will be a free agent next summer, and re-signing him would bring Boston close to the luxury tax line. Keeping just one of the trio into 2018-19 would launch them over it.
Each of those three has represented a crucial bridge between the veteran stars and the kiddos. Bradley is a free agent next summer; Crowder's cheapo deal runs two years longer, which gave him the most trade value. But it also made him the one Boston could most realistically afford. Boston is also thin up front, and Crowder can log a lot of time at power forward.
As built now, Boston needs one of the two remaining players from this trio on its roster two seasons from now. Who will it be?
[Update: It is down to Crowder and Smart after Boston agreed Friday to flip Bradley to Detroit for Marcus Morris, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Boston loses some shooting and one key starter, but in Morris, they get back another switchy wing capable of sharing some power forward duty. Morris is also on a ridiculous under-market deal that pay hims $10.3 million combined over the next two seasons. The trade could mean the end of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Detroit, thought the Pistons still have enough room under the hard cap to match an offer sheet starting around $16.5 million.]
