Boston Celtics: This is who the C’s should amnesty if they have the chance

If the NBA decides to resurrect their amnesty clause in their next collective bargaining agreement, this is who should the Boston Celtics using it on.

There is really only one player on the Boston Celtics roster that comes to mind in regards to the amnesty clause, that being Gordon Hayward. The amnesty provision will allow teams to clear unfriendly contracts from their payroll and in turn increase their overall cap space.

Now, the amnesty clause doesn’t currently exist in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, but it’s safe to say the league and the Players Association will be tearing up the current agreement. In the current climate, the amnesty clause makes some sense to introduce on a one-time basis in the coming agreement.

First and foremost, this has nothing to do with Hayward being injured more often than not since being in Boston, it has everything to do with the richness of his $35 million player option that he’s set to exercise in 2021. But between the ankle injury that had him sidelined for over a year in 2017, breaking his left hand this season, and most recently severely spraining his ankle in the first game of the playoffs, the Celtics are unfortunately accustomed to playing without Hayward.

Hayward does become the odd man out for a number of reasons that go beyond his injury history. After his hefty contract, one of the main factors going into this decision would be Boston’s overall need for Hayward at this point in time. When you consider the upward progressions and advancements of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the necessity of Hayward immensely and automatically decreases.

At the time the Celtics originally brought in Hayward on a max contract, they didn’t realize how fast Brown, who was in his second year, and Tatum, a rookie, would progress into All-Star caliber players that are now strong pillars and the future of their franchise.

Between the core group of Kemba Walker, Tatum, and Brown, the Celtics will still have enough firepower without the services of Hayward. With the open roster spot and a huge amount of cap room that would be available, the Celtics could target a dominant big man or another versatile and star-like wing-man through free agency who could better fit the holes currently on the roster.

Some of the free agents in 2021 will include Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, Andre Drummond, Paul George, and Blake Griffin. Ironically enough, some of these names have been looming around the Boston Celtics for a few years now but the C’s were never really able to pull the trigger on any of them, which could change with an increased amount of cap room due to the amnesty of Hayward.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Celtics went heavy in this past year’s NBA Draft, using all four of their picks in selecting Romeo Langford, who has elite scoring abilities and defensive intensity. Grant Williams, who has a strong basketball IQ and can float around from both forward positions and center. And Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters who both have trended upwards and showed positive progressions throughout their rookie seasons.

If Langford can evolve into the player envisioned to be, the Celtics will have another young, elite two-way player to accompany Walker, Brown, and Tatum as the team moves forward . If this happens, Langford would be in a prime position to be Hayward’s replacement on a much more team-friendly contract, as well as still having the cap room to sign a big-name free agent if they so choose too.

Another aspect to consider when it comes to the amnesty and the available cap space that comes along with it is Tatum’s expiring contract and his eligibility for a long term, max deal that’ll keep him in Boston for as long as possible. Tatum will be looking at restricted free agency by 2021.

It’s obviously a hard decision to make for the Boston Celtics as Hayward has climbed through what seemed like impossible feats to make a comeback and has excelled in doing so. But at the end of the day, it’s never personal rather than personnel in professional sports.