Celtics fans initially had to table their excitement when news broke that Gordon Hayward was heading to Boston.
ESPN’s Chris Haynes first broke the news of Hayward signing with the C’s early afternoon on the Fourth of July. But his report quickly was refuted, as Hayward’s agent and Utah Jazz brass revealed Hayward had yet to make a decision.
Ultimately, Hayward announced his intent to join the Celtics later that evening via an article with The Players’ Tribune. And given the platform of the announcement, many believed the delay was due to Hayward needing time to craft his essay.
But during his introductory conference call with the Celtics on Friday, Hayward put those rumors to rest.
“There were a lot of reports saying we were finishing up the article for The Players’ Tribune, which is just completely false,” he said. “I had a ghost writer who I was working with throughout the course of my visits, and I was sharing my thoughts the whole time.
“Once I finally made the decision it was like, five minutes, finish it up and we’re ready to go. It was definitely a crazy day and I’m kind of bummed how it happened, but in this day and age, that type of stuff goes on. Sometimes there’s not much you can do about it.”
Luckily for Hayward, his free-agent circus now officially is over, and he can start to focus on his first season playing in a Celtics uniform.
Thumbnail photo via Jeff Swinger/USA TODAY Sports Images
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