Nigel Hayes-Davis. Why does that name sound so familiar?
Our brain immediately started churning Monday when a report from EuroHoops noted that Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was spotted at the Turkish League Finals, seemingly to watch Hayes-Davis compete for Fenerbahce.
A quick check of our notes detailed nearly a full decade of interest between Hayes-Davis and the Celtics. And while Boston most certainly has bigger roster issues to navigate this summer, it’s fair to wonder in these late June doldrums if the now-30-year-old Hayes-Davis could be a low-cost option for Boston’s frontcourt.
Mazzulla, no stranger to offseason international travel, likely had more reasons to check out a high-stakes EuroLeague matchup beyond Hayes-Davis, but it also highlights how the team is searching all corners of the globe for talent.
The Celtics first hosted Hayes-Davis on a draft workout in May 2016. He was one of 12 players who participated in a split-group workout that day. Others that visited for those sessions: Malcolm Brogdon, Josh Hart, DeAndre Bembry, Taurean Prince, Jake Layman, and Abdel Nader, whom the Celtics ultimately tabbed with the 58th pick in the 2016 draft.
Hayes-Davis withdrew from the 2016 NBA Draft to return to Wisconsin for his senior season, then went undrafted in 2017. His pro journey actually started with the Westchester Knicks in the G-League, where Luke Kornet was a teammate. The 6-foot-8 Hayes-Davis appeared in nine NBA games with three teams (Lakers, Raptors, and Kings) during that 2017-18 season before taking his game overseas.
In 2021, reports suggested there was interest between the Celtics and Hayes-Davis, but nothing ever materialized. Nine years after that draft workout in Waltham, could Hayes-Davis be a depth option if he wanted another crack at the NBA and the Celtics needed low-cost depth options at the wing?
Hayes-Davis landed on the All-EuroLeague First Team this season. One of the other American members of that squad: former Celtics draftee Carsen Edwards (33rd overall pick, 2019). Hayes-Davis averaged 16.7 points per game this season while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point range in 39 EuroLeague games this season.
Fenerbache general manager Derya Yannier told reporters last month that there was “serious interest from the NBA” for Hayes-Davis and teammate Tarik Biberovic and suggested the team wouldn’t stand in their way if they elected to pursue those opportunities.
