After 3 years of mediocrity, Gordon Hayward and the Boston Celtics have finally parted ways. At 1:28 PM EST, Adrian Wojnarowski announced that the now-former Celtics forward signed a 4-year, 120 million dollar contract with the Charlotte Hornets. As a Boston Celtics fan, this is bittersweet. 

Since the arrival of Gordon Hayward in Boston, I and the fanbase have fully supported and backed him. After his gruesome injury on opening night in 2017, our fan base rallied behind him and put our faith within Gordon to come back engaged and healthy. What Boston and our fan base ended up getting was a mediocre and injury-prone 3 years. 

In back to back offseasons, we lost the very pieces that propelled us into championship contention. A team once on track to become the NBA’s next dynasty is now stuck in “NBA Purgatory”. Our current contract situation makes us unable to make any “big” moves in free agency, and with Hayward off the roster, they no longer possess the assets to make any significant trades. 

Where do the Boston Celtics go from here? 

Well, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol are both available, but should the Celtics even try to compete in a now loaded eastern conference. A move like singing Harry Giles may make more sense. A possible Kemba walker trade may be interesting as well. Regardless, Boston could have avoided this situation if our front office wasn’t hesitant to make trades. 

The rumored sign and trade with Indiana fell through because of incompetence, not due to Hayward deciding to go otherwise. Indiana did not have the money to offer GH the contract he wants, it would inevitably have to be a sign and trade with Boston, due to them having Bird rights. Where the deal fell through was Danny Ainge pushing the envelope. Indiana had offered Myles Turner and Doug Mcdermott for Hayward, but Danny wanted TJ Warren or Victor Oladipon, evidently causing the deal to fall through. 

At the end of the day, Danny Ainge had two whole years to trade Hayward. It was very clear after his injury and the acquisition of Kemba Walker that he was no longer a focal point. Instead, the man notoriously known for acquiring assets gets none, and the Boston Celtics are now sent into scramble mode. 

Boston once had the brightest future in the NBA, now we are a middle of the pack team, at best. Danny Ainge failed to bring another championship to Boston, with four all-star singings, the best 1-2 young duo in the NBA, and the 2nd most draft assets in the league. It may be time for new management within the front office.

With almost every single team in the east improving, where should the Celtics go from here? Rebuild, retool, or run it back? Let me know in the comments below.