22 September, 2017
"Being part of the Boston culture, I'm just enthused and I can't wait to get started", said Irving, who added that his mishap caused him to be 45 minutes late for a meeting with head coach Brad Stevens. Boston shipped Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the 2018 Brooklyn Nets first-round draft pick and an additional 2020 second-round pick. He talked about the intensity of playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, playing at the Garden in the playoffs, and how much fun it was, and how much fun he had playing in Boston.
While he thought he will be playing alongside Isaiah Thomas, a surprising turn of events happened as the two-time All-Star was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
The trade wasn't all bad for Hayward, he explained.
One of the more interesting things that Hayward wrote about was just how much of an influence Thomas had in his decision to come to Boston.
Irving, a four-time All-Star, spent his first six seasons in Cleveland and helped the team win its first-ever National Basketball Association championship. Hayward continued: "I have spent enough years in the National Basketball Association to realize that things can change like that, in an instant".
"Becoming a Celtic brings a lot of history and tradition with it, I feel that responsibility", the forward penned. "Having that experience of playing in those big moments, dealing with the circus of the media, dealing with expectations, those are all things that I think he can help us with".
"You know, just to have that type of support anywhere at any given moment, they had no idea who I was, it makes it even sweeter". We're a new team, but stick with us.
If he thinks along those lines, he will instantly become a crowd-favorite in Boston. But despite being rivals now, Hayward says he will still be rooting for Thomas' success.
