Celtics Brass 'Positive' After Meeting With Gordon Hayward
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics met on Sunday with free-agent forward Gordon Hayward, by far the biggest name remaining on the market. Although the C's have some serious competition for Hayward's services, management reportedly came away from the meeting with a "positive sentiment," according to the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn.
Hayward's meeting with the Celtics apparently included a trip to Fenway Park, where the team showed him footage of past Celtics championships and a recruitment message from David Ortiz on the video screen in the center field bleachers.
Multiple people noticed the Fenway screens reading "Welcome to Boston, Gordon & Robyn", referring to Hayward and his wife.
Hayward then reportedly met with Celtics representatives, including head coach Brad Stevens (who previously coached Hayward at Butler), president of basketball ops Danny Ainge, co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, point guard Isaiah Thomas, and big man Al Horford. They discussed Hayward's potential role in the Celtics offense.
An NBA source told Washburn that at the meeting, "the communication was excellent and the case was made for Gordon being a great fit."
Hayward is expected to meet on Monday with the Utah Jazz, where he has played for the first seven seasons of his NBA career. He met on Saturday with the Miami Heat, who were reported as the "current favorite" to sign him after the meeting took place.
