Gordon Hayward: 'No Ill Will' Toward Celtics After Sign-and-Trade to Hornets

After opting out of his contract with the Boston Celtics and joining the Charlotte Hornets as a free agent, Gordon Hayward said he feels "no ill will" toward anybody in the organization that signed him in 2017. 

Per ESPN's Nick Friedell, Hayward spoke highly of the organization on a call with reporters Tuesday: 

"Tough decisions were certainly made. There's no ill will on my end from anybody within the Boston organization, the players. I had an unbelievable time in Boston, and I think that it's unfortunate what happened, I obviously had a freak injury right when I got there. And there's a lot of things that were kind of out of my control of when I was in Boston. But I had a great time there and still have great relationships with the people there and some of the players there. And my teammates and coaches and my wife and I had built relationships with members of the community that we live in, and to this day, we talk to them. ... There's no ill will on my end, and I really loved my time in Boston."

The 30-year-old's time in Boston didn't go as the Celtics had planned when they signed him away from the Utah Jazz in 2017. In his regular-season debut with the Celtics, he fractured his tibia and dislocated his ankle after a freak landing on an alley-oop, and he was ruled out for the season. He did not return to the court until Oct. 16, 2018—one day shy of the one-year anniversary of the injury.

He had an up-and-down 2018-19 campaign, but he finally settled in this past season, averaging 17.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 52 regular-season games. He suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain during the opening game of the playoffs, but he returned in the midst of the Eastern Conference Finals before the Miami Heat knocked out the Celtics.

Charlotte had previously shown interest in Hayward prior to his arrival in Boston.  In 2014, Hayward signed a four-year, $63 million offer sheet with the Hornets, but the Jazz matched the deal.

Hayward said that previous interactions with team owner Michael Jordan helped lead to this decision: 

"I never forgot the commitment and the potential I think that Michael and the organization saw in me years ago. When they gave me an offer sheet and I had signed that to come here back then and then ultimately that got matched. And so for sure that was always one thing that was in the back of my mind."

In Charlotte, Hayward will look to build off the momentum of his 2019-20 season, with Devonte' Graham, Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington and Cody Zeller by his side.