Gordon Hayward and Danny Ainge on his departure

[Smoke117]

Danny Ainge:

"We set out to try and get Gordon to come back," Ainge said. "That was our No. 1 goal in the offseason was to get Gordon back with the Celtics, he's a terrific player. I just think that he preferred to go somewhere else, and made his choice to go to Charlotte. I don't know what else to say about it.

"There was a lot of discussion, I think there was hope we had all the way to the end that he would return. But I think he preferred to be a more featured player, and Charlotte was paying him a lot of money, and he chose to go there."

Ainge clarified that Hayward didn't necessarily say directly to him that he wanted a bigger role on the court, but that he had enough discussions with Hayward to infer that.

Gordon Hayward:

“I never forgot the commitment and the potential that (Hornets owner) Michael (Jordan) and the organization saw in me years ago when they gave me an offer sheet and had signed that to come here back then and ultimately I got matched (by Utah),” Hayward said Tuesday in his first media availability with Charlotte. “That for sure was one thing but then more than that, just whole vision that the organization had, the front office as well as Coach Borrego of where this team could go, where they could get to, how they believed they could utilize me and the impact that they believed that I could have."

He can bring his experience and talent – he says he’s still in the prime of his career and likes what the Hornets are trying to do with a young roster that features P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier, Devonte’ Graham and 2020 draft picks LaMelo Ball (third overall), Vernon Carey Jr. (32nd) and Grant Riller (56th).

“The potential is there for these young guys, so I’m excited,” Hayward said. “Having the ability to help us get to the next level, I think I’m somebody who can do a little bit of everything. The think I like to do most is play-make and create for others. Obviously in my career, I’ve done the scoring thing as well. I’m versatile. I can just help us try to impact our time with winning as much as possible. The pieces are there in place.

Fukking Danny Ainge. I could be watching the Pacers, but now I gotta watch the Hornets instead. I'm curious to see how Hayward and Rozier get along after Terry threw him under the bus after the end of the 2019 season. lol (unfairly at that) I thought this whole season that Hayward should have been featured more. He was called the "4th option", but he is clearly a better and more polished offensive player than Jaylen Brown is at this point in their careers. The main difference is that every time Brown touched the ball he was thinking of how he could best get his shot up while Hayward was always thinking of how to get the best shot for the team. Well, he'll have a plenty of opportunities now.

[tpols]

Meltdown baby boy.

[AirTupac]

Hahahahahaah garbage Boston. Also OP is a pathetic fukkking loser.

[Vino24]

Hayward is forever afraid of contact. His main scoring is wide open looks. No more going thru traffic to the basket

[MrFonzworth]

Imagine being a Hayward stan

The white American's last hope

[8Ball]

Charlotte paid him 20M more than Boston wanted to

[Baller789]

Charlotte paid him 20M more than Boston wanted to

So how many assist titles does Lebron have?

[Vino24]

Charolette is the real loser here lol

[RRR3]

LEBRON LEBRON LEBRON

[coin24]

Lol Celtics stay losing as usual

[pandiani17]

Charolette is the real loser here lol

This. Strange sentence in the article saying Hayward is still in his prime. Journalists trying to lie to casual fans, NBA lovers know that Gordon hasn't been at his best since his injury in the first game with the Celtics.

[pandiani17]

Also, I didn't know about the little reunion with Terry Rozier after all the drama in Boston. Add Lamelo Ball to that, and I'm sure the season will not be at least boring in North Carolina.

[CelticBaller]

that sign and trade was clutch

[Xiao Yao You]

This. Strange sentence in the article saying Hayward is still in his prime. Journalists trying to lie to casual fans, NBA lovers know that Gordon hasn't been at his best since his injury in the first game with the Celtics.

career high in boards and shooting across the board last year. One of his best years

[Vino24]

career high in boards and shooting across the board last year. One of his best years

Celtics were literally the same/ slightly better without him. He doesn’t do contact. Watch old clips of him in Utah, he used to finish in traffic. Not anymore