That said, Hayward is as competitive of a person as you’ll find, so there are some things he would like to see changed in Utah, another source confirmed. He wants to win. He wants better talent around him after a 40-42 season left the team out of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. He’s wanted to play with a really good point guard, which, by the way, makes the trade for veteran George Hill a smart move by the Jazz. But there were no demands made by Hayward, who has a strong relationship with Jazz coach Quin Snyder and his Utah teammates.
The premise — that Hayward is unhappy and has demanded a trade — simply isn’t true, multiple sources in the Jazz organization and close to Hayward told the Deseret News. Would Hayward like to play for his old Butler coach and close friend Brad Stevens? Of course he would. Anybody would be silly to believe otherwise.
Does that mean he’s unhappy in Utah and wants out? Absolutely not. “There is no truth to this rumor,” one team source said. “Gordon has been terrific.” Lindsey put it this way when asked if an unhappy Hayward had demanded a trade: "Unequivocally no."
The Boston Celtics have been pursuing a number of established veterans in the buildup to Thursday's NBA draft, offering trade packages built around the No. 3 overall pick, according to league sources. But sources told ESPN that the Celtics, to date, have been rebuffed in their efforts to assemble a sufficiently enticing deal to acquire any of these four prime targets: Chicago Bulls All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler, Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward and Milwaukee Bucks teammates Jabari Parker or Khris Middleton.
March 6, 2021 | 9:32 pm EST Update
Gary Payton joining NBA staff?

Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton has not been shy about his desire to dive back into the NBA—as a coach. He told Yahoo! Sports last October that he had conversations about joining a coaching staff, “but the timing wasn’t right. I believe I now am ready to coach.” He did not, in the end, join a staff for this season, but now Payton says something is in the works and that could change shortly.
He was coy with specifics, but when asked, he told me about his desire to coach, “It is still the case. I got a surprise coming for a lot of people pretty soon. I don’t want to announce it right now, but you’ll see it pretty soon in the next couple of weeks, I hope everybody will be excited about it.”
He didn’t name any teams, but Payton has said he would like to work with young players, and logical speculation would hold that he could land in Atlanta to mentor star guard Trae Young. Payton’s old teammate and close friend, Nate McMillan, took over the Hawks job after Lloyd Pierce was fired this week. Another possibility would be Detroit, where coach Dwane Casey is overseeing a rebuilding project with a slew of young players for the Pistons. Casey was an assistant coach for Payton’s great Supersonics teams in the 1990s.

Adam Spolane: Rockets announce they have recalled KJ Martin and Kevin Porter Jr from the G League. They will be available to play Thursday in Sacramento

Cody Taylor: The NBA G League Ignite have clinched a playoff berth with tonight’s 127-92 win over the Austin Spurs. The group will play at least one more game this season as the playoffs begin on Monday.
Troy Brown: Please help me find my dog, Dex. He’s been missing since yesterday (March 5th). He went missing in the Kalorama neighborhood near 2535 Belmont Rd NW in DC. He’s an extremely friendly dog but he’s probably scared… only weighs about 15 pounds. He has tan and white fur.
March 6, 2021 | 6:25 pm EST Update
Adam Silver promoting G League route for top prospects

Law Murray: Silver says that 25 percent of NBA players come from out of United States, promotes G-League/G-League Ignite as a paid option for some talents while league continues to discuss one-and-done rule
Joe Vardon: The NCAA won’t love this one. Asked about a new basketball league for high-school-aged players who are paid, Adam Silver said: ‘Generally it’s good to have optionality.’