Tony Dejak, AP
Utah Jazz's Gordon Hayward, right, tries to prevent a shot by the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving (2) in an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Cleveland.
Gordon Hayward met Isaiah Thomas at Fenway Park in July fully expecting the All-Star point guard to be in Boston come opening day on Oct. 17 when the Celtics meet the Cleveland Cavaliers. About a month after agreeing to a deal with the Celtics, Hayward finds himself in a “peculiar” position, as Cavaliers forward Kevin Love would likely call it.
On Tuesday afternoon, Boston traded Thomas, Jae Crowder, rookie Ante Zizic and an unprotected first-round pick to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving, leaving Hayward with a team that looks wholly different than the one he signed with as a free agent.