2017 NBA free agency: 5 best signings of the summer
By Nate Wolf
2. Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics: 4 years, $128 million
This will likely be the most controversial choice on this list. Yes, Gordon Hayward’s signing meant the Boston Celtics had to trade Avery Bradley, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and an ever-improving shooter. And yes, Hayward’s contract is his admittedly gargantuan full max.
But first off, the Celtics would’ve had difficulty retaining Bradley in free agency next summer. And it’s not like they traded him to Detroit for chopped liver either; they took back Marcus Morris, who is a fringe starter in the NBA.
Secondly, Hayward was getting a max deal anyway. There’s no negotiating down for an in-his-prime top-20 player, which Hayward definitely is. Sometimes, signings are good not because of the contract, but because the player is just that valuable.
Hayward can play on or off the ball, much like Isaiah Thomas, giving Brad Stevens another weapon to lessen Thomas’s load. Stevens can also stagger the pair’s minutes, which will keep Boston’s offense from dropping off when Thomas sits.
With the Jazz last season, Hayward averaged 21.9 points and 3.5 assists per game in an extremely slow offense. Playing alongside Thomas and Al Horford in Boston’s pace-and-space attack, Hayward’s numbers should increase across the board. He’s a bonafide star who just keeps getting better.
Add in some solid defense at both wing positions and potentially the 4, and you get a player who pushes Boston from good to very good, perhaps even great. Very few free agents can claim that type of impact on a team.
With the news that Kyrie Irving is trying to force his way out of Cleveland, Boston’s path to the Finals has become even clearer. Hayward, Horford, (probably) Thomas and Boston’s war chest of youngsters will keep the Celtics in contention in the East for the duration of Hayward’s contract. If that’s not a good signing, I don’t know what is.