Celtics Rumors: Latest on James Harden Trade, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward

Danny Ainge and the rest of the Boston Celtics front office are putting in long hours these days.

The franchise has already been at the epicenter of a three-team deal that shipped Enes Kanter off to Portland and brought in three new rookies through the draft. 

THe biggest decisions and moves are still yet to come, though. With Gordon Hayward opting out of his player option for next season he has become one of the biggest prizes in the free agency class. Big news may be on the way on the Jayson Tatum front. And, of course, every team has some involvement with the James Harden rumors. 

Here's a round-up of the latest rumors surrounding those three storylines. 

Hayward Pushing for Trade to Indiana

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Gordon Hayward's rebound season has him in high demand apparently. He's been linked to both the Hawks and the Knicks as potential destinations. However, it appears that Indiana has now emerged as a strong contender. 

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported that Hayward is "fully focused" on signing with the Indiana Pacers. Hayward was born, raised and attended college in Indianapolis at Butler so this would be a homecoming for the 30-year-old forward. 

Additional reports have come out that give some context to the negotiations. Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reported the Pacers are offering Myles Turner and Doug McDermott in exchange for Hayward while the Celtics are asking for Turner and one of Victor Oladipo or T.J. Warren. 

A sign-and-trade really is the best scenario for the Celtics. Hayward had a nice comeback season. He averaged 17.5 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor with 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists. However, he's been prone to injury throughout his time in Boston. He missed almost the entire first season with a gruesome leg injury and missed another month with a fractured hand. 

Now it appears the Celtics are going to get something in return for Hayward instead of watching him leave for nothing. 

Big Contract Extension for Tatum Expected

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

While getting something back for Hayward or even having the forward re-sign with the team is nice. Locking up Jayson Tatum for the long-term future is the most important thing the Celtics could do this offseason and it looks like that's something that should be done in short order. 

Marc Stein of The New York Times reported that Tatum is among the class of 2017 rookies who is expected to sign a max extension with Donovan Mitchell being the other in Utah. 

The Celtics and Tatum have plenty of time to get the deal done. It only needs to be signed before the season starts but the fact there's already rumblings it is going to be done shows the strong relationship the franchise has with its budding star. 

Bobby Marks of ESPN projected the new deal could be worth $158 million over five years. The extension would kick in for the 2021-22 season and help the Celtics avoid an offseason of "will he or won't he" rumors. 

The forward enjoyed a breakout season in 2020 averaging 23.4 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game all of which were career-highs. Entering his age-22 season he is on track to be a franchise cornerstone for a long time. 

Celtics Advised to "Keep Away" from James Harden

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

With James Harden reportedly requesting a trade from the Houston Rockets there's going to be plenty of teams linked to the star guard until a deal actually happens. 

For the Celtics part, it appears they've already done some due diligence but it's unlikely he's going to be wearing green anytime soon. 

Former Boston Herald writer Steve Bulpett reported the team "did some research" but were "strongly advised to keep away". Bulpett also notes that the way things deteriorated in Houston "didn't paint a lot of people in a very good light". 

Not only does it sound like the Celtics won't be pursuing Harden but the report also elicits questions of who else may be scared off by what's happened with the star and his current team. Harden still has three years left on his deal so the Rockets have no reason to trade him other than his request at this point. 

A Celtics-Harden trade seems increasingly unlikely given the draft has come and gone. The Celtics had multiple first-round picks in this year's draft but don't have any future firsts other than their own to give up in a deal. 

Harden joining the Celtics might be a fun move in 2K but the Celtics are probably right to not take the risk of him messing with the core they have built in Boston.