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Celtics' Hayward: Isaiah's recruitment efforts 'helped win me over'

Nathaniel S. Butler / National Basketball Association / Getty

If it wasn't for Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward may have never decided to head east this offseason.

The All-Star swingman revealed Thursday that the now-Cleveland Cavaliers guard played a huge role in Hayward's decision to sign with the Boston Celtics as a free agent.

"He didn't just help recruit me to Boston - he was a big piece of that recruitment," Hayward wrote in a blog post on his website. "He had talked a lot about (the) city and how it was different to be a Celtic. 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.

"All of that ultimately helped win me over. And by the time of the trade, I had already started to build a little bit of a relationship with him."

Even if they're now on rival teams, Hayward is still rooting for Thomas, hoping the 5-foot-9 guard can bounce back from the hip injury that ultimately ended his postseason.

"I have spent enough years in the NBA to realize that things can change like that, in an instant," Hayward wrote. "Still, even though we didn't necessarily get to be teammates, I'm definitely going to be watching him as a fan. In this league, I think we are all rooting for each other in some way or another - just to try to stay healthy, to try to be the best we can be."

The 27-year-old averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a steal on 47.1 percent shooting for the Utah Jazz this past season.

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