NBA Executive Believes Gordon Hayward ‘Feels Betrayed’ By Celtics

There was a lot of hype surrounding Gordon Hayward when he signed with the Boston Celtics in 2017.

But that all changed just minutes into his debut when he suffered a gruesome leg/ankle injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.

Things didn’t exactly get better for Hayward, as injuries followed him around since coming to Boston. And now with NBA trades taking place Monday and rumors swirling about who will go where, many wonder if the C’s will trade Hayward, especially if he does want out of the final year of his contract.

The New York Knicks reportedly are interested in Hayward should he become available.

But one Eastern Conference executive believes the 30-year-old feels “betrayed” by the Celtics.

“I think he feels betrayed with his role there, but he’s not leaving money on the table,” the exec said, via the HoopsHype podcast.

Hayward has a $34.2 million player option for 2021 season, which obviously is a lot of money to walk away from to test an uncertain free agent market.

And according to NBA writer Mark Murphy, Hayward hasn’t decided if he will opt in to his contract, but sources told Murphy “a lot of people want” Hayward.

This certainly will be worth keeping an eye on over the next few days.