Celtics Rumors: Latest Buzz on Gordon Hayward Trade, RJ Hampton, 2020 NBA Draft

Gordon Hayward has a decision to make. He can either accept his player option for the 2020-21 season with the Boston Celtics (which is worth $34.2 million), or he can decline it and test free agency. If Hayward opts in, then he'll become a free agent at the end of next season.

The NBA salary cap for the 2020-21 season may remain flat because of the coronavirus pandemic, so it's unclear how many teams will have financial flexibility. So there could be some uncertainty for Hayward (and other players around the league) should he choose to hit the free-agent market rather than accept his option.

Still, it's not a given that Hayward is going to opt in with Boston for next season. During a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN's Zach Lowe noted that there's "some buzz out there" regarding Hayward's status with the Celtics for 2020-21.

"The buzz that I'm hearing is like the smoke, the smoke indicating that something is happening," Lowe said on the podcast. "I'm not sure what's up, but I don't think it's a lock that Gordon Hayward is on the Celtics next year."

ESPN's Bobby Marks also chimed in on the podcast with some Hayward buzz, noting that he may be seeing what his options could be should he decide not to return to Boston.

"I think what his agent, Mark Bartelstein, is doing right now is canvassing the league," Marks said. "He's doing the Al Horford plan."

Horford was in the same position with the Celtics just last offseason. He had a $30.1 million option for 2019-20, but he declined it and then decided to sign a four-year, $109 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

If Hayward decides to become a free agent, there's likely to be interested teams. The 30-year-old forward averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 52 games this past season. As long as he stays healthy, it's likely he'll continue to be a strong scorer on the wing.

Latest on Celtics' NBA Draft Plans

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The Celtics are going to be busy when draft night arrives on Nov. 18. They own three first-round selections (the Nos. 14, 26 and 30 overall picks), as well as one second-round pick (No. 47 overall). Boston can either add several prospects, trade the picks or a combination of both.

The first time the Celtics will be on the clock will be at the No. 14 pick, the final lottery selection and one they obtained from the Memphis Grizzlies. At that point, there will be some strong prospects on the board for Boston to consider drafting.

One player who the Celtics could be thinking about taking is guard RJ Hampton, as Chris Grenham of Forbes recently reported that they recently "had a good interview with Hampton and are looking to have an in-person workout with him in the near future."

Rather than go to college, Hampton played for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League last season. Before that, he attended Little Elm (Texas) High School.

According to Grenham, another player who the Celtics have "expressed interest" in is BYU forward Yoeli Childs, although he's likely someone they could take with one of their later selections.

"Childs has really impressed in his interviews with numerous teams," Grenham tweeted. "He's receiving interest in the 35-45 range at the moment."

Childs was a four-year starter at BYU, playing in 119 career games. This past season, he averaged 22.2 points and 9.0 rebounds in 19 games for the Cougars.