Gordon Hayward’s decision to join the Boston Celtics over the summer wasn’t a stunner, but one of his former teammates was surprised at how the star forward handled his business.
Hayward publicly announced July 4 that he intended to sign with the Celtics in free agency after seven seasons with the Utah Jazz. Jazz center Rudy Gobert had an inkling Hayward was going to be on the move, but Hayward’s lack of communication didn’t sit well with the budding center.
“I could feel it,” Gobert told ESPN’s Zach Lowe. “I was texting him a few days before (Hayward’s July 4 decision), and he wasn’t texting me back. That’s what I didn’t like. Just tell me. After five years, trust us, say what you are going to do. But I respect his choice.”
Hayward and Gobert led Utah to the fifth seed in the Western Conference last season, as well as a first-round playoff series win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Jazz appeared to be a team on the rise with a bright, young core, but Hayward’s departure certainly set the franchise back a step.
But it sounds like Gobert doesn’t have any bad blood with Hayward … only his texting habits.
