On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team officially signed All-Star veteran forward Gordon Hayward away from the Utah Jazz in free agency after a kerfuffle on the fourth of the month over whether he had actually left the Jazz. The Butler product’s contract, a four-year, $128 million deal with a player option on its final year, started on a gruesome note that took several seasons to recover from.
A devastating injury to his ankle ended Hayward’s first season with Boston just a few minutes into the 2018-19 NBA season. The Indiana native worked diligently over the next two seasons to get back to his old self and abilities.
Unfortunately, by the time he had mostly recovered his game, it was on a team that needed him in less of a starring and more of a supporting role.