The Oklahoma City Thunder made a splash at the NBA trade deadline by acquiring veteran wing Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets.
In exchange, OKC surrendered only Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic, two future second-round picks and cash considerations.
In 25 games with the Hornets, Hayward has averaged 14.5 points on 48.6% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He has shot 36.1% from 3 on 2.4 attempts. The 33-year-old is on an expiring $31.5 million salary, so there’s no long-term commitment.
This is a massive upgrade for OKC’s bench. Hayward can serve as a great backup wing who can close games. He can shoot and create his shot. He also brings a ton of playoff experience to the young Thunder.
Hayward has had durability issues for years, and that has been the case this season. He hasn’t played since Dec. 26 due to a calf injury but was recently upgraded to questionable.
It should help that OKC likely will reduce Hayward’s role and workload, which means the amount of stress he puts on his legs will decrease. After the move was made, ESPN’s Zach Lowe gushed about it on “NBA Today,” saying it was a smart move by a smart front office.
“I want to talk about the Oklahoma City Thunder! … The top of the West — minus the Monte Morris move to Minnesota — has been pretty quiet and the Thunder just got a player in Gordon Hayward that can close games for them.
Perk mentioned Josh Giddey being up and down, Lu Dort’s been up and down. Gordon Hayward can play the three, the four, he can shoot, he can work off the dribble. He fills every need the Thunder had.
Yes, his health is a big question — I’m told he should be ready to play very soon, if not immediately for Oklahoma City. The Thunder did it! They went out and made a win-now move. Their team has earned this respect from the Thunder front office, they’ve earned a chance to really go for it.
It’s not the sexiest move but it’s a big move by their standards and the top of the West has a contender that fortified itself.”
Zach Lowe & Brian Windhorst gush over the Gordon Hayward trade for the Thunder
Lowe said he should return soon, if not immediately and Windhorst talked about the possibility of OKC re-signing him in the offseason:
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 8, 2024
Lowe is at the forefront of NBA media personalities, so getting his stamp of approval made Thunder fans like the move even more. There’s no real downside to this trade as the worst-case scenario is Hayward flames out and OKC has over $30 million in cap space to play with in the offseason.
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