Gordon Hayward: ‘I don’t think I have to live up to anything now’
By Mike Dyce
The Charlotte Hornets went out and made some moves in free agency, including signing Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward to a max offer sheet. Unfortunately for the Hornets, and as expected, the Jazz matched the offer.
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The new deal pays Hayward $62,965,420 over the next four years and is fully guaranteed. That large paycheck comes with expectations of consistent stellar play, but the contract isn’t making Hayward feel like he has a standard to live up to now.
“For me, I don’t think I have to live up to anything now,” Hayward said, via Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune. “They paid me what they wanted to pay me, and let’s go from there.”
And what about any kind of pressure?
“Oh, man. No pressure now,” Hayward said. “The pressure is trying to win. That’s the pressure.”
While the contract might bring pressure, that kind of financial security has to be comforting and alleviating when it comes to the stress of financial strains and planning out your future, including your post-NBA career.