Gordon Hayward is among the upcoming sneaker free agents that will hit the open market prior to the 2018-19 season. Hayward has been with Nike throughout his career, but it’s possible he’ll leave the Swoosh for a more lucrative deal elsewhere.
Nike is expected to have significant interest in retaining him, and will have a chance to match his next deal if they so choose. However, there are some other suitors that could come in with a massive offer to pry Hayward away from Nike in an effort to get a star player on a potential Finals team.
Hayward’s value as a sneaker endorser on his own is debatable, but his presence as a marquee player on the Boston Celtics, who are the favorites in the Eastern Conference and figure to remain in that role for some time, makes him a big target. That’s especially the case for brands that may be in need of getting more prominent placement, either in expanding or re-launching their sneaker line. New Balance has been reported as a very interested suitor for Hayward as they bring back their hoops division, but apparently they aren’t alone.
ESPN’s Nick DePaula reported on Monday that Chinese sneaker company Anta was going to approach Hayward with a multi-year deal on Monday when they met with him.
Gordon Hayward is receiving strong interest from 4 sneaker brands. In addition to interest from Nike and New Balance, Chinese brand Anta is pitching the Celtics All-Star with a multi-year shoe deal offer this evening in San Diego. pic.twitter.com/yZOq9iEJhW
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) August 20, 2018
Anta is not a stranger to the Celtics, as they had Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo on their roster, so their interest here make sense. If they were to land Hayward, it would give them a presence on the Celtics and Warriors (with Klay Thompson as their top star currently in the NBA). That would be quite the tandem, and could possibly give Anta players on both sides of the Finals in 2019 (and beyond).
