What you missed from Gordon Hayward’s first Celtics press conference
Boston fans can finally exhale. Following an announcement day that brought a lot of chaos, Gordon Hayward is officially a Celtic.
The team formally signed Hayward to a four-year max deal worth approximately $128 million, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters Friday.
While the 27-year-old forward was not physically present at his introductory press conference, he still fielded questions via conference call and touched on a number of topics.
Here’s what Hayward had to say:
On his visit to Boston:
Gordon Hayward: “There’s just something different about Boston, different about being a Celtic… and that ultimately won me over.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 14, 2017
Gordon Hayward details his Boston visit: “The city of Boston. It’s just a different feeling of when you’re in the city.” pic.twitter.com/x2dQ1h3WCJ
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) July 14, 2017
On his decision day:
Asked @gordonhayward to explain what happened the day he made his decision. His explanation, as transcribed live. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/qlrEIrljsO
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 14, 2017
On the upcoming season:
Hayward: “I think I’m a versatile player offensively and defensively and I think that’ll help us.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) July 14, 2017
Hayward on Cs chasing another title: “It’s something I for sure think is attainable for us. I think there’s a lot of work for us to do.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) July 14, 2017
Hayward on chasing Banner 18: “That’s our goal. That’s something that I’m working [for] right now..It’s what we’re striving for.” #Celtics
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 14, 2017
Hayward: “I’m ready to get to practice already and start learning and competing with these guys.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) July 14, 2017
On head coach Brad Stevens:
Hayward said Ainge and Stevens won him over on the promise of opening up his versatility on both ends. Says Brad is a genius at that.
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 14, 2017
Hayward on having Brad Stevens recruit him again: “It was kind of like deja vu.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) July 14, 2017
Gordon Hayward on Brad Stevens: “He came to my wedding. Any time I needed him, he was there for me.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) July 14, 2017
On his new teammates:
Hayward: I am more than ecstatic to play with Horford and Thomas. “I think we complement each other well.” #Celtics
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 14, 2017
Hayward said he’s a “huge fan” of Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford’s games. “Really looking forward to playing with those guys.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) July 14, 2017
Stevens also spoke to the media on Friday:
On recruiting Hayward to play for both Butler and the Celtics:
“I think that it’s really an unbelievable thing to be sitting with a guy in your offices when he’s 16 or 17 years old in the recruiting process, then to again be sitting with him when he’s 27 years old and to see just the change in the maturity and the great questions and the thoughtful ways that he was looking at all of his options.” (Boston Globe)
On pitching Boston to Hayward: “I think that one of the things that I really tried to do was talk about why the transition was so great for me and my family and also how hard it was to initially make the transition. It was something that we had to really deliberate on, something that we had to really think about.” (ESPN)
On getting Hayward to leave Utah: “I had spent 13 years at Butler, so I could understand the emotions that he was wrestling with having spent his last seven years with Utah. We tried to be empathetic towards that and talk about, again, why we thought it was a great situation from the standpoint of what we’re trying to continue to accomplish with the Celtics and how seamlessly we felt that he’d fit into that. We tried to keep much more of a focus on the now then our relationship from 10 years ago.” (MassLive)
Ainge spoke, too:
On waiting to hear back from Hayward:
“It was nerve-wracking, quite honestly. I think that we were hopeful. We felt like we had a great meeting with him … and had a good day with him. When he left we felt good about that. But we also know and respect his ties to Utah and his meeting also with Miami, a very good organization we have a great deal of respect for. So we really had no idea. He didn’t really give us any hint when he left.” (ESPN)
On decision day: We were just waiting like everybody else, like the rest of the world. And it came out with a premature report he was coming to Boston. When I heard from his agent that that wasn’t true, that he had not made a decision, I went, ‘Oh, no. That could be really bad.’ So we were just on pins and needles the whole day until we finally got the word.” (ESPN)
On the impact of Stevens: “I know Brad is a big part of why we were able to be in the homes of Al Horford and Kevin Durant and Gordon Hayward these last two years. I think all three of them, not just Gordon, but all three of them would tell you that is a huge reason why they are very excited and interested in our teams. They have a fascination with Brad.” (Boston Globe)
On Hayward’s abilities as a player: “He’s a good fit because he’s just a complete player. He could fit with any team. He can play 1 through 4 positions. And he can handle the ball. He can play off the ball. He can defend multiple positions. He’s a hard-nosed and very unselfish player that is capable of taking over stretches of games.” (ESPN)
On the upcoming season: “I think that we’re better [than last season]. We’re a better team. We’ve added some good pieces with Marcus Morris coming on board as well. I think Marcus is another versatile player that brings an element of toughness to our team that we’re very excited about. … We also lost Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk, who are terrific players, but we have some really good young players that are coming in, too, that really earned and deserve a chance to play. So I feel like our team’s in a better position than we were last year, for sure.” (ESPN)
