The Charlotte Hornets will sign Gordon Hayward to a four-year, $120 million contract this off-season. That part is known.
The mechanics in which they make that acquisition, though, remains up in the air. After an initial report that the team was going to waive and stretch the remaining $27 million of Nicolas Batum’s contract to make room for Hayward, the Hornets may actually be focused on using that as a last resort.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hornets are still in discussions with the Celtics about sign-and-trade options for Hayward. While the two teams appear to have agreed upon the framework of a deal, it would not be a deal that would allow the team to sign Hayward without waiving Batum. As a result, the Hornets are scouring the market for a third team that could take on Batum’s contract and help Charlotte create enough cap space to fit in Hayward’s contract.
Trading away Batum would likely come at the cost of an asset of some quantity. While he is an expiring contract, the $27 million owed this season will likely hamstring a franchise that acquires him for the remainder of the season. But the cost of an asset may be worth not having to pay the $9 million not being on the team’s salary cap sheet the next three seasons, which would hamstring the Hornets themselves moving forward.
It’s a risk-reward proposition the Hornets will have to ultimately weigh before making their final decision on Hayward and Batum.
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