NBA: Gordon Hayward's Future In Celtics Is Not Looking Good

The Boston Celtics could get a big boost from Gordon Hayward, but it appears the All-Star forward has been sidelined with a foot injury. He did not suit up against the Dallas Mavericks, and it seems that there are complications tied up to it.

In a report from NBC Sports, it appears the left foot injury is nothing new. In fact, it is something that has been bothering him even before he suffered a hand injury. Head coach Brad Stevens revealed that an initial MRI showed nothing serious, but a second one would be done. The whole thing was seconded by team president Danny Ainge on 98.5 The Sports Hubs' "Toucher & Rich" who described it as day-to-day.

"He had a cortisone shot (Friday) hoping that that would make it better, but it actually made it worse. So, we're trying to figure all that out. But nobody knows exactly what the issue is," he said.

Ainge later on said that the foot injury is not related to the incident which sidelined Hayward back during the 2017-18 NBA season. The Celtics legend reasoned that it may have been born out of Hayward doing too much work. In all, he too seems unaware of what ails the NBA All-Star.

The Hayward injury issue could not have come at a worst time. Several other Celtics are also dealing with injuries such as Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier. Regardless, Boston ranks second in the NBA Eastern Conference with an 18-7 win-loss record as of this writing. They are behind the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

Once Hayward is given the green light, he is likely to be placed on load management and minutes restriction setup. Beyond this season, it will be interesting if his spate of injuries will have a bearing in his future contracts. Hayward is in the third year of his $127 million deal which includes a 15-percent trade kicker. He is due to earn $32 million this season and $34 million in 2019-20 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021.