Gordon Hayward who joined the Charlotte Hornets in free agency was unexpected, to say the least
After the former Boston Celtics forward gave up on his $ 34.2 million contract, the most likely scenario seemed to be a sign and trade with the Indiana Pacers. Hayward was also related to the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks.
Then, the Hornets appeared out of nowhere to ink the former All-Star for a four-year deal worth $ 120 million.
In a conversation with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Hayward reflected on the free will process and confirmed the five teams that were on his radar.
“Yeah, Atlanta was a team I was really interested in,” Hayward told The Athletic. “I think they’re another group of guys who are obviously young but extremely talented and you’ve seen the additions they added in the offseason. … New York was in the mix: the Knicks. Indiana was another team that was really interested and we had a mutual interest for a while. Boston was – like, let’s not forget Boston. I really wanted to go back to Boston. There were just a lot of options and a lot of potential teams I could go to, but I’d say those were the main ones. Atlanta. , New York, Boston, Indiana and then Charlotte of course “.