The Denver Nuggets saw their title defense come to an end in the Western Conference Semifinals as the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated them in seven games. It was clear in that series that the Nuggets needed to bolster their bench in the offseason and according to insider Harrison Wind, Gordon Hayward is someone to keep an eye on.
“I know there are people within the Nuggets who are fans of Hayward,” Wind wrote.
I am not sure Nuggets fans would be all that thrilled to hear that, as Hayward’s stock is at an all-time low at this point. To say the 34-year-old failed to make an impact after the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for him mid-season would be an understatement.
The Thunder had acquired Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets for Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, and cash considerations. He was supposed to provide some scoring and playmaking off the bench while also being that veteran presence on a young team, but it just didn’t work out.
Hayward averaged just 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.5 steals per game for the Thunder in the regular season. That wasn’t all that impressive, but things were only going to get worse in the playoffs.
Hayward had averaged 17.2 minutes per game in the regular season but that number dropped to 6.6 minutes per game in the postseason. He was even removed from the rotation altogether for the final three games of the Thunder’s second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Hayward ended up playing just 46 minutes in the playoffs and failed to even score a point. So, why would the Nuggets be interested in someone like him?
Well, while Hayward’s tenure with the Thunder turned out to be a disaster, there is gas left in the tank. Prior to the trade, he had averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2023-24 for the Hornets.
I think Hayward could potentially give a team some solid minutes off the bench, but he has to be in the right situation for that. Perhaps the Nuggets believe that would be the case if he joined them. Even if things don’t work out, it wouldn’t exactly be a catastrophe, as I am fairly certain Hayward is only going to end up signing on the veteran minimum this offseason.
The Nuggets Bench Struggled Mightily In The Playoffs
There were multiple reasons why the Nuggets failed to repeat and the bench was one of them. Bruce Brown was such a vital contributor off the bench for them last season and no one was able to duplicate what he had done this time around.
In the 2024 playoffs, the Nuggets bench averaged 14.8 points per game on just 35.2% shooting from the field, as per the NBA. Only the Los Angeles Lakers bench was worse off in terms of both points and efficiency (12.0 and 35.1%) and that’s far from ideal for a team that wants to win the title.
If the Nuggets are to get back on top, they need to bring in a couple of players to bolster that bench unit. They would be hoping that some ring-chasing veterans would be interested in coming over.
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