The Gordon Hayward to the Indiana Pacers rumors simply will not stop. Going by the old saying, where there is smoke, there is usually a fire. Now, it has been made clear that Hayward is interested in returning home to Indiana to play for the Pacers.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN talked about the possibility and made it clear that landing with the Pacers is appealing to Hayward.

Indiana has been involved in discussions with the Boston Celtics about a potential sign-and-trade for Hayward all offseason long. Before the draft, the two sides discussed a trade that would have sent Myles Turner and either Jeremy Lamb or Doug McDermott to Boston for Hayward and the No. 14 overall pick.

Now that Hayward has opted out of his contract, things get even easier. Hayward can discuss potential contract options with the Pacers and then Indiana can discuss a trade with the Celtics to facilitate the deal.

Turner still seems like the most likely trade candidate in this deal. However, the Pacers could also try to ship Victor Oladipo out for Hayward.

Last season with the Celtics, Hayward showcased why a team like the Pacers would have so much interest in acquiring him. He averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Hayward shot 50 percent from the floor and 38.3 percent from the three-point line.

As a small market team, the Pacers will have to take some risks in order to compete for a championship. Shipping Turner to Boston would give Indiana a starting lineup of Malcolm Brogdon, Oladipo, Hayward, TJ Warren, and Domantas Sabonis. That lineup could make some noise.

Nate Bjorkgren, the Pacers’ new head coach, loves versatile players. They don’t come much more versatile than Hayward. He would be able to play shooting guard through small-ball power forward.

Expect to hear more news and rumors come out about Gordon Hayward in the coming hours and days. With that being said, the Pacers are very much in the picture.