Gordon Hayward and the Charlotte Hornets first joined forces back in 2020, and things have been complicated ever since. He only played 93 games in two seasons and saw a pretty sharp decline in minutes and role for the club.
Now, there are talks he could be on the move from North Carolina once and for all ahead of the 2022 draft. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst dropped the latest details.
“Keep an eye on the Charlotte Hornets,” Windhorst said. “Now, they have two picks in the middle of the draft: picks 13 and 15. People in the league do not feel they will make both picks. They might not even make either pick. But right now they are looking to make a deal with one of those picks, combine them with one of the salaries that they have in-house. Gordon Hayward is one of the names we’re hearing, potentially to offload some money, potentially to move around the draft, as they try to clear some salary space for Miles Bridges. That’s a top free agent for them, they got a lot of salary committed.”
Brian Windhorst with some intel on the following teams in regards to trades leading up to draft night:
Hawks
Rockets
Sixers
Suns
Hornets#NBATwitter #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/T1KtgO616f
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) June 21, 2022
Of course, Hayward’s value isn’t too high these days. He’s a 32-year-old veteran past his prime who has a troubling injury history.
Still, there is hope that Charlotte can find a new home for him soon.
“I’m sure they can trade him. I don’t think they’ll get off a ton of money,” said one NBA insider. “They’ll take players back that cost a little less. They overpaid to get Hayward, which they had to do to get him in the first place, but they’re also paying Nicolas Batum’s dead money to sign him. His effective cost is $40 million because of that. I don’t think he has plus value on that deal and his injuries are starting to add up with age. Maybe you’re able to trade him for two pieces making $10-15 million a year. I’m sure there will be a market for him because at the end of the day, he’s a really good wing player.”
With LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, the Hornets have a core they can move forward with for years to come.
While Hayward’s role on the team is clouded in uncertainty, even a trade away from the team can help the Hornets move on and build towards a better future.
