Gordon Hayward 'really wanted' to return to Celtics before deal with Hornets

Gordon Hayward is enjoying his time with the Charlotte Hornets. However, it appears he didn't want to leave Boston after all. 

Hayward told The Athletic's Sam Amick that he "really wanted" to return to the Celtics before signing a four-year, $120 million deal with the Hornets during the offseason. 

"New York was in the mix—the Knicks. Indiana was another team that was really interested, and we had mutual interest for a while. Boston was—like, let's not forget about Boston. I really wanted to go back to Boston too. There were just a lot of options, and a lot of potential teams that I could go to, but I'd say those were the main ones. Atlanta, New York, Boston, Indiana, and then Charlotte obviously."

The 30-year-old is enjoying a solid season with the Hornets so far, averaging 22.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 49.3% from the field and 40.9% from deep. 

Hayward returning to Boston wasn't ever going to be in the cards for the Celtics. They have immense depth on the wings with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, so there wasn't much room for Hayward to slide in. 

Instead of re-signing Hayward, the Celtics used the money to sign Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson, who have been solid for the team thus far.

Losing Hayward hasn't had much of an impact on the Celtics, who currently are second in the Eastern Conference behind the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, the Hornets aren't even in the playoff picture with a 6-8 record.