Would Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin be a better fit for the Celtics?
Every year after the NBA Finals, free agency rumors swirl around the league. The 2017 offseason will be no different, as Blake Griffin, Gordon Hayward and Chris Paul may find a new home for the upcoming NBA season. The Boston Celtics have their eyes on Griffin and Hayward, as they get ready for what will be a busy free agency period starting on July 1.
The Celtics finished first in the Eastern Conference in the 2016-17 season, winning 53 games. Boston was knocked out in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. Although the Cavs are still the favorites, Boston can make some noise with a big signing in free agency.
On an episode of The Herd, Chris Broussard thinks that the Celtics are in “win-now” mode, via Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports.
"“Look at Danny Ainge’s history. What’s he best known for? Getting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the same summer, and building a championship team.“You can’t put anything past Danny Ainge. I think what we are seeing now is that they may be more in win-now mode than people thought. And again, I think they may think they’re closer to Cleveland than a lot of others do.”"
It makes sense that Boston could land either Blake Griffin or Gordon Hayward in the offseason. Hayward played for head coach Brad Stevens when he was in college at Butler.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical stated on his podcast that Boston’s shower of love for teammate Paul Pierce impressed Griffin.
"“So the one thing to know about Blake Griffin, he was there when Paul Pierce came in with the Clippers for his last game in Boston, Blake was obviously there with the team. He saw how Boston reacted to Paul Pierce and what it means to have been a great player in Boston."
Gordon Hayward would be a better fit for Boston
Blake Griffin is a great player, but because of his injuries, he isn’t worth the risk to Boston. He hasn’t played in 67 games in a year since the 2014-15 regular season. On top of that, Griffin finished the 2016 postseason on the sideline with an injured quad against the Portland Trail Blazers. A year later, a bad toe put him out of the playoffs against the Utah Jazz.
When injuries start to pile up on players who rely on their athleticism like Griffin, they usually experience sharp declines in their early 30s. Think Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard.
The NBA is loaded with talent at the point guard and small forward positions right now. Boston has an elite point guard in Isaiah Thomas that can compete with the likes of Kyrie Irving, John Wall and Kyle Lowry. Boston lacks a strong scoring presence on their wing. Gordon Hayward is the best available option to fill that void.
Hayward had a career year win the 2016-17 campaign, averaging 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He shoots 39.8 percent from beyond the arc, making him a nice fit as Boston attempted 33.4 threes a game in the 2016-17 regular season, the third-most in the NBA.
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If Hayward joins Boston, his scoring would likely increase with defenses focusing in on stopping Isaiah Thomas, not to mention that Utah finished dead last in pace and the Celtics finished 12th.