Celtics officially sign Hayward to reported 4-year, $128M contract
Gordon Hayward is officially bound for Beantown, with the Boston Celtics announcing Friday they signed the prized unrestricted free agent.
After spending the first seven years of his NBA career with the Utah Jazz, Hayward tested the open market for the first time this summer, meeting with his incumbent team in addition to the Celtics and Miami Heat.
In a saga documented by his agent, Mark Bartelstein, Hayward changed his mind multiple times before making the "gut-wrenching" choice to leave the only club he's ever known for greener pastures in Boston.
Hayward personally announced the decision with a post on The Players' Tribune, indicating he thinks he can win a title with the Celtics, who reached the Eastern Conference finals this past season. The Indiana native is also excited to reunite with Brad Stevens, who was his coach at Butler and currently mans the sidelines for the men in green.
The Jazz and Celtics reportedly discussed sign-and-trade options involving Hayward and small forward Jae Crowder, but Danny Ainge ultimately elected against compensating his new star's former club.
Although nothing materialized on that front, Boston did need to clear cap space in order to pay Hayward the max, so the organization shipped off starting shooting guard Avery Bradley - who has one year and $8.8 million left on his contract - to the Detroit Pistons.
The Celtics rolled out the red carpet for the 27-year-old Hayward, enhancing their recruiting meeting with a video at Fenway Park and appearances from stars he'd join in Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford.
Related: Thomas says Hayward will help Celtics get to NBA Finals
Hayward's coming off his best season yet, as he averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a steal over 73 games. He also earned his first All-Star nod and led the Jazz to the West semifinals.
In Boston, he'll round out a talented Big Three and boost the club's chances of taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers, who eliminated the Celtics in five games in the East finals.