Gordon Hayward opens up about why he left the Boston Celtics in recent blog
For former Boston Celtics veteran forward Gordon Hayward, his new home with the Charlotte Hornets is a mix of the familiar and the strange — and most importantly for all involved, he seems to be happy with his new home.
At the time of its signing, it didn’t seem logical for a team to offer him the $128 million, four-year deal the Hornets gave him to lure him away from the Celtics, and perhaps down the road it will look less sensible than it does right now. But the opportunities he’d signed on for with Boston no longer existed because of the unexpectedly fast growth of star wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Regardless of how we feel about Hayward’s exit, the numbers he’s putting up in Charlotte just weren’t going to be there for him in Boston — and he knew it.
The former All-Star saw the team transform into something very different than the Isaiah Thomas-led squad he'd joined in the summer of 2017, and after his recovery it was clearly the Jay's squad moving forward. Blogging recently, Hayward opened up about why he ultimately made the leap to North Carolina: "When I signed, I envisioned going somewhere where I’d have more responsibility and could maximize who I am as a basketball player—or at least, have an opportunity to maximize who I am." "I have that here," he added. "I have the ball in my hands more and I have more responsibility. That’s what I wanted." https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1370791597802201089?s=20
If he thought he was escaping a youth movement however -- he was wrong, as he noted.
"We had a bunch of young players in Boston and I remember saying like, “Man, it feels weird to be the old guy,” and I think I was like 27 or 28. Now here I am at 30, and we have 19-year-old LaMelo, and a bunch of 20 and 21-year-olds. Having Ronald Nord, who was my road roommate in college, on the coaching staff—that, for sure, makes me feel old."
Best of luck in the new home, old man -- except, of course, when you're playing Boston. https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=mTyD9pgWAt-1197297-8380&autoplay=on&V=2&format=json This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook! [lawrence-related id=47729,47716,47677,47628] [listicle id=47735]
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