Skip to content

Condition: Post with Page_List

Listen
Search
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

Celtics get their trade exception as Gordon Hayward deal is made official

It took a little while to sort out, but Danny Ainge did ultimately get something in return for Gordon Hayward.

The Celtics announced Sunday afternoon that they have completed a sign-and-trade deal that sends Gordon Hayward and two future second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a conditional future second-round pick. The move also creates a trade exception for Boston.


And it's that last part that is the key. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the trade exception will be for $28.5 million, making it the largest in NBA history.

The Celtics will be able to carry that for up to a year, and it means they can now bring in a player in that salary range via trade or free agency.

Had the Celtics lost Hayward in free agency for nothing, it would have just created a full mid-level exception for them, worth up to $9.3 million.

Needless to say, the $28.5 million opens a lot more possibilities than the $9.3 million. Now we wait to see how Ainge uses it.