Boston Celtics: 3 free agent options to replace Gordon Hayward

Boston Celtics Option No. 2: Bogdan Bogdanovic

This one could be a trickier one for the Celtics to get over the line. The Serbian shooting guard has looked like he’ll command a fair amount when hitting free agency and hits the market this offseason. The Sacramento Kings do have Bird rights on the 28-year-old, but his contract will potentially be too much to ask for them. Bogdanovic is expected to earn between $14 million and $16 million per season, and the Kings have an offer extended to him, but he could very well test the waters of free agency and earn himself more elsewhere. That could be where the Celtics come in.

It’s no secret that the Celtics are in need of shooting. This would be particularly from the bench, but if Hayward leaves then there’ll be more holes to fill in the lineup. Bogdanovic could be one of the guys to fill these minutes that Hayward’s departure would leave on the table, and provide must-needed shooting in the process. Bogdanovic has shown plenty of promise as a shooter over his three seasons in the league, thus far, but there is a lot of room for improvement with him averaging just 44.0 percent from the field this past season. He did average 37.2 from 3-point range, highlighting his threat from deep, which would be a very useful tool for this Celtics offense.

Unlike Grant, Bogdanovic would obviously cover the two-spot. But the Celtics have plenty of versatility with their wings. The two stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum can play multiple spots in the lineup, and head coach Brad Stevens has the Celtics playing a lot of positionless basketball so it’s not an issue of just bringing in a small forward to replace Hayward. Bogdanovic would fit this scheme.

In 2019-20, Bogdanovic averaged a career-high 15.1 points per game, mostly coming off of the bench. He attempted 12.6 shots a game, with 7.2 of those being 3-point shots. He’ll be able to knock down jumpers, getting better looks with the likes of Kemba Walker alongside him in the backcourt. This Celtics team already has their fair share of ball-handlers, Bogdanovic would be a nice complementary piece, bolstering their shooting ability and their depth off the bench.