Reports surfaced Wednesday night that the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics were discussing a sign-and-trade involving new C’s acquisition Gordon Hayward, but those talks have stalled, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Celtics forward Jae Crowder reportedly was one player involved in these trade talks. It made sense because Crowder plays the same position as Hayward and brings many of the same skills to the court.
Boston also needs to clear more salary cap space to fit Hayward’s max contract into its cap structure. But the C’s aren’t likely to just give Crowder away in a pure salary dump. He’s way too valuable for that, particularly because of his very team-friendly contract.
If a trade doesn’t go down, the Celtics will need to find another way to clear salary off the books. They reportedly have been shopping Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Crowder around the league. Bradley and Smart are entering the final year of their contracts.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
