Gordon Hayward Rumors: Pacers Reluctant to Move T.J. Warren in Sign-and-Trade
The Indiana Pacers are "reluctant" to move forward T.J. Warren or guard Aaron Holiday in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics for free-agent forward Gordon Hayward, per Ian Begley of SNY.
Hayward is a free agent after declining his $34 million player option with the C's following three seasons with the team.
Hayward grew up in Indiana and played college basketball at Butler University in Indianapolis. Marc Stein of the New York Times reported Friday that "Indiana continues to explore sign-and-trade pathways" for him.
The Pacers apparently don't want to part with Warren or Holiday, however, and view Warren as a "cornerstone," per Begley.
The C's see Holiday as an "important part of the package" in a potential Hayward deal, according to Begley, but the Pacers are reluctant to move him as well.
The 30-year-old Hayward averaged 17.5 points on 50.0 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists during an injury-shortened 2019-20 campaign.
Stein noted that the New York Knicks "remain a suitor for Hayward with their salary-cap space" as well. The Knicks created roughly $40 million in cap space after parting with seven players Thursday, per Chris Iseman of northjersey.com.
Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer also mentioned the Knicks' interest in Hayward last week on the podcast The Mismatch (h/t Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston).
However, New York could be less interested following draft night. As Begley reported Thursday: "Some Knicks decision-makers have indeed had interest in acquiring Gordon Hayward. But it's seen as less likely now that the club used its draft picks last night."
That could give the Pacers a clearer lane to acquire Hayward, who's reportedly "fully focused" on heading home to Indiana, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic (h/t RealGM).
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe also reported that Hayward wants to go to Indiana and noted where the C's and Pacers currently stand in their negotiations:
Indiana is coming off a 45-28 season that ended with a first-round sweep at the hands of the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. The Pacers don't have the salary-cap space to sign Hayward outright with $124 million committed for the 2020-21 season, which will have a roughly $109 million salary cap.
Therefore, a sign-and-trade is likely necessary for Hayward to become a Pacer. The question is whether Indiana and Boston can come to an agreement on the parameters.
