Gordon Hayward Chooses Celtics

Gordon Hayward, in what has become something of a July 4th tradition, has announced his new destination in The Players Tribune. After thanking Utah for his years with the Jazz, Hayward explained that his relationship with Brad Stevens was a key component of his decision:

"It was such a tough decision. But there was one person who I knew I could talk to about it from every angle, who I knew would give me the smartest and most honest perspective available: Coach Stevens. Coach Stevens was so great about it, all of it. He helped me lay out my options, and talked it through from both sides … but in the end, when I needed it, he also gave me my space. And he also let me know that it was my choice to make — and that he would be there for me, on the other side of it, either way. And of course I ended up deciding to leave: I declared for the draft, and got drafted, and started my new NBA life in Utah. But it always meant a lot to me, to know how, in that moment, even with our lives at this strange crossroads together, Coach Stevens was someone I could count on."

And thus ends our brief national nightmare.