The Boston Celtics have no plans of getting rid of Gordon Hayward, as they want to retain him as a part of the team’s future.
Hayward’s contract is set to expire after next season, but he can opt out of his four-year, $128 million deal and enter free agency a year ahead of time if he wants.
Either way, the Celtics are prepared to convince him to stick around, but Hayward recently said right now, he’s focused on helping the team win a championship this season.
“What I want to do is help us win a championship here this year,” Hayward told Boston Sports Journal. “That’s our goal as a team, and I think that starts with trying to get better each day and focus on the game at hand. All the other stuff, you deal with as it comes to you. Right now, I’m trying to just play my best basketball and help our team.”
Price will always be a little bit of an issue with the Celtics, according to Brian Robb of Boston Sports Journal.
The team is paying a lot to Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown, and will soon do the same for their young star Jayson Tatum, but Hayward is still expected to be in their plans.
Hayward is posting career-highs in rebounding (6.5 per game) and field goal percentage (51.2%) and has become a great complementary piece going forward for the Celtics.
