Where does Gordon Hayward's future with Celtics stand after draft night?

Decision day is here (again) for Gordon Hayward and the Celtics on Thursday as the revised deadline awaits for the veteran forward to make a decision on his $34.1 million player option for the 2020-21 season.

Despite working together with Hayward’s camp on agreeing to push back the decision deadline from Tuesday to Thursday for Hayward, Danny Ainge played it close to the vest on Wednesday night when asked about Hayward’s situation.

"I don’t know about that,” Ainge said Wednesday night about the looming decision. “We’ll start working on free agency and all that tomorrow. Tonight we’re just here with the draft, first phase. Big free agency time, though, there’s a lot to get done still in a very short period of time.”

The same was true for Brad Stevens when asked about the rumors surrounding his former Butler star leaving town.

“I certainly would never speculate on anybody that has an option that gets to make that decision,” Stevens said. “Certainly, we'll see with the player options and the team options, and then free agency after that. We'll see how the team fills itself out…I think that's the beauty of the whole system. If a player has an option, it's their option. It's their choice. They get to do what they want. Team has an option, same thing, unrestricted free agents get to choose what they want. We'll see how it all plays itself out.”

Amid speculation that Hayward has been seeking a new team outside Boston after three years in Green, Stevens also signaled he has given Hayward his space as his decision comes due on his future.

“I’ve always said, I've talked to those guys all year long,” Stevens said. “So those conversations aren't unique, going back years. And as we get closer to these deadlines and these big decisions and everything else, I say, 'If you need me, let me know.' He knows us, he knows me, he knows this whole situation and he weighs that against his other options. That's part of a player option, so that's not too dissimilar to what we've been through in the past. So we'll see again how that plays out. but those conversations, you spend so much time together that I think it's appropriate, from my point of view, to make yourself available, if need be.”

Both Ainge and Stevens tried to be very careful with their words, not even using Hayward by name in any of their comments perhaps as a sign they didn’t want to do anything to potentially upset the key veteran or give any hint of what lies ahead. After no major trades materialized on draft night for the franchise, the Celtics now find themselves directly tied to Hayward’s decision when it comes to their next offseason options. If he opts in or agrees to an extension, the C’s could conceivably keep him in an attempt to maximize their contending chances next season. The other more likely alternative is an opt-out that leads to a sign-and-trade with the Celtics netting some type of return for the 31-year-old.

From a draft night standpoint, little changed in regards to Hayward’s potential suitors. The three teams with the cap room that could conceivably sign Hayward outright with cap room with some maneuvering (Atlanta, New York, Charlotte) made their first-round picks and didn’t add any veteran salary to reduce potential salary-cap space. A wildcard was added to the free-agent market however for Friday in the form of Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who will hit the market as a restricted free agent. It was originally reported by multiple sources that he would be heading to Milwaukee in a sign-and-trade but his reps reneged on that deal, likely finding a better option on the open market instead for their client. As a younger player, he should be a more sought after piece than Hayward by any team with cap room, eliminating a potential landing spot and point of leverage for Hayward’s camp. Other key free agent shooters (Joe Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Jerami Grant, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Davis Bertans) will also loom large for Hayward’s potential market as cap room could dry up quickly for the veteran if these guys land in Atlanta, New York or Charlotte.

The bottom line for Hayward’s camp is that the time for posturing will be coming to an end. If he doesn’t have an ironclad offer from one of these teams, he will likely opt-in or request the Celtics facilitate a sign-and-trade (something they may or may not be inclined to do depending on the destination). If the big money offer isn’t there, a choice will need to be made: Does Hayward wants to take less for a bigger role on a non-playoff or a middling playoff team? Or would be willing to give it one more go in Boston to contend for a big salary?

It’s possible we are past the point of no return now with Hayward and the Celtics could simply opt to trade him no matter what, even if he opts in to avoid losing him for nothing in free agency next summer. Still, the case can be made that keeping Hayward gives this group the best chance to win in the present and that counts for something if he’s willing to stay.

Either way, Thursday will be a turning point for the Celtics offseason with Hayward’s deadline due, along with option decisions for Enes Kanter, Semi Ojeleye and Brad Wanamaker (deadline to make him a qualifying offer).

Losing another max free agent would be a bad look for the franchise and losing another one without compensation coming back would be crippling for the team’s odds of contending in a quickly improving Eastern Conference. Whether it’s via allowing a trade return or playing on the roster itself, the Celtics need a Hayward that’s willing to cooperate on Thursday.