Gordon Hayward’s Decision Looms

Yesterday, Gordon Hayward had his meeting with the Celtics in Boston. He spent the day with his former college head coach Brad Stevens, Danny Ainge, Isaiah Thomas, and Al Horford. The C’s held a part of their meeting with Hayward at Fenway Park, where the jumbotron displayed a message welcoming he and his wife to the city:

Reports also said that a video was also displayed on this screen, which showed some highlights from this year’s team along with highlights from years past. It was supposed to show Hayward what it truly means to play for such a historic franchise, and how he could potentially etch his name into Boston sports history. Other parts of their meeting reportedly included a closed-door meeting where Brad Stevens set up a presentation displaying how Hayward would be used in his offense, along with a tour of the city.

Do I think there’s a chance he goes back to Utah? Absolutely. He has been there his whole career, and it is well-known that he has a great relationship with head coach Quin Snyder. However, I also really believe he’s going to come to Boston. I think that last off-season showed us that the Stevens, Ainge, and Thomas recruiting trio can get the job done. They were able to pry Al Horford away from Atlanta after 9 years, and I think they will do the same thing again with Hayward. The one thing that Miami or Utah don’t have, is Brad Stevens. His familiarity with the coach is going to be the one thing that makes a difference in this process. You take that and add the fact that the Western Conference has completely depleted the East’s stars over the past couple weeks, and it almost feels like a no-brainer. Coming to Boston would give Hayward the best chance at making it to the all-star game, and more importantly, making it to the Finals as well.

Today, Hayward is scheduled to be meeting with the Utah Jazz in San Diego, as they are hopeful they can convince their star player to stay put. Hayward is expected to make his decision anywhere from tonight to Wednesday, so these next couple of days are going to be stressful for C’s fans, myself included.

Written By: Nick Cherico (@NickCherico2)