Rumor: Hornets forward Gordon Hayward wants change of scenery

[Goldstar88]

Gordo is a huge gamble with his health, but maybe if you use load management with Him the whole season, it could work out come playoff time. Sit him on all back to backs. He’d be a huge upgrade over Westbrook for the Lakers. Not sure if Indiana could do a 3 way trade, But Brogdon, Heild. Haliburton, Hayward, Turner. That’s a pretty solid starting 5. Could see him making sense for Dallas as well.

[Ed Monix]

This rumour reminded me of something that had dawned on me a while ago, a Utah Jazz sliding doors moment.

One of the contributing factors of Hayward coming to Boston was his drive to play for a championship contender and the ownerships unwillingness to spend.

But literally as soon as he leaves, Utah drafts Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell would have been perfect sidekick to Hayward as he’s a score first guy who needs a playmaker.

To make matters worse, if Utah has Hayward locked down there isn’t the fear of losing Rudy Golbert, so they don’t need to offer him that ridiculous contract.

And the original Jazz owner has now sold to a multi billionaire group, thus removing the fear of spending over the cap.

—————————

Rudy Golbert
Joe Ingles
Gordon Hayward
Grayson Allen
Donovan Mitchell

That would have been a very competitive core.

[PAOBoston]

It’s really sad how snake bitten he’s been by injury since his first game for the Cs. Few bad for the guy but also can’t believe he got that much money. At this point in his career, think he would a super 6th man but seems like injuries always going to be a problem going forward. His salary makes it tough to make a trade for anything valuable. Maybe Charlotte tries to make it work once more next year and then they buy him out or trade him on his last year of deal.

[celticsclay]

Lakers trade of Westbrook looking a lot more likely with this report. 

Something like Westbrook, Reaves for Hayward, Oubre

That seems like something both teams would try.

Charlotte says no.   How does Westbrook help them?   An unhappy Hayward helps this team more then a need the ball in their hand Westbrook. 



I could see a team like Philly offering Harris.  (I also agree with Utah)

Yeah I know Hayward's always hurt but idk why Charlotte is motivated to do this. If anything, it'd also probably affect their young guys since Westbrook would absolutely continue to be a diva in Charlotte and stunt their growth. It'd be a real sign Charlotte is going nowhere adding him.

Get out of the last year of Hayward's contract.  Get a star for tickets for a year.  Get a decent young player on a minimum contract for a couple of years.

They already have the star to sell tickets.   They need to win games to sell more.   This doesn't help.

Yes but Hayward is a terrible contract and they need some future cap room for Bridges and eventually Ball.  Given his injury history and the extra year at 31.5 million, Hayward might actually be a worse contract than Westbrook.

They have sufficient space to resign Bridges and Martin this off-season, so they don’t need to make a move this year.  Next year could be trickier depending what they want to do with Washington, but Hayward as an expiring is much easier to deal with than Hayward with two-years left.  In short, I don’t expect them to move Hayward unless they get players they like more.  There is no need from a cap/tax perspective to do anything immediately.

Dealing him as an expiring would require salary back though.  If they want to clear him a year early, they need to move him this summer for expiring contracts and no one would want him except in a Westbrook style deal.

Not that I would do this, but Horford for Hayward pretty much works.  Horford off books after next season just like Russ. Please he fulfills a much bigger need for Charlotte than Westbrick.

But why would Boston do that?

Doubt they would other than to get a little younger and if they could find a decent replacement big for Horford that costs less $$. But yeah, given how well Al has fit in, and Hayward's recurring injuries, Boston wouldn't do it.

which is why I keep coming back to someone like Westbrook.  A big expiring contract a player the team would trade and who may benefit from Hayward (which is why I don't think Wall makes sense since Houston has no need for Hayward). 

I just believe Hayward has negative value given the size of his contract coupled with his inability to stay healthy and his actual production when he is actually playing (16, 4.5, 3.5 is not worth 30 million even at 80 games, let alone 50 games).  Thus, his market is going to be limited.  The one think Charlotte can accomplish though is shedding a year if they take on Westbrook and that does actually have value.  Getting out of his contract and dropping that salary from their books in 23-24 will allow them one last crack at a free agent before they max Ball.  They'd have even more room if they sent Rozier to the Lakers as well.

Westbrook, Reaves, THT for Hayward, Rozier

Very clean cap after 2023 for the Hornets in that scenario with basically just Ball, Bouknight, Jones, and whatever they re-sign Bridges and Martin for.  They'd have a cap hold on Washington of around 17 million and the player option on THT (and they could do the trade without THT if they wanted).  So they'd easily have max room to add that one more piece before Ball has to be maxed out.

I don’t think this is why you keep coming back to Westbrook being traded to improve the lakers.

[hpantazo]

He had a good thing going in Utah and then they improved since he left. Although much different circumstances, the same can be said for his time in Boston. The Celtics now are much better than when he was here. I can see the Hornets also improving if they can use some of that cap space on other pieces.


He's made a ton of money and is 32 years old. He should give up looking to be the guy on a contending team and switch to looking to be a supporting player on a contending team where he fits best.

[kraidstar]

Lakers trade of Westbrook looking a lot more likely with this report. 

Something like Westbrook, Reaves for Hayward, Oubre

That seems like something both teams would try.

Charlotte says no.   How does Westbrook help them?   An unhappy Hayward helps this team more then a need the ball in their hand Westbrook. 



I could see a team like Philly offering Harris.  (I also agree with Utah)

Yeah I know Hayward's always hurt but idk why Charlotte is motivated to do this. If anything, it'd also probably affect their young guys since Westbrook would absolutely continue to be a diva in Charlotte and stunt their growth. It'd be a real sign Charlotte is going nowhere adding him.

Get out of the last year of Hayward's contract.  Get a star for tickets for a year.  Get a decent young player on a minimum contract for a couple of years.

They already have the star to sell tickets.   They need to win games to sell more.   This doesn't help.

Yes but Hayward is a terrible contract and they need some future cap room for Bridges and eventually Ball.  Given his injury history and the extra year at 31.5 million, Hayward might actually be a worse contract than Westbrook.

They have sufficient space to resign Bridges and Martin this off-season, so they don’t need to make a move this year.  Next year could be trickier depending what they want to do with Washington, but Hayward as an expiring is much easier to deal with than Hayward with two-years left.  In short, I don’t expect them to move Hayward unless they get players they like more.  There is no need from a cap/tax perspective to do anything immediately.

Dealing him as an expiring would require salary back though.  If they want to clear him a year early, they need to move him this summer for expiring contracts and no one would want him except in a Westbrook style deal.

Hayward and Westbrook don't match salaries tho, so Charlotte would have to send out additional salary AND likely take back more salary next season, which could in fact make staying under the tax line more difficult than just keeping Hayward, while also making their team worse in the short run.

The general rule of the NBA is to not make a long-term salary dump before you need to, and there's no reason for Charlotte to deviate from that rule.  I get that you want to make the Lakers better, but Charlotte doesn't need to do that.

Westbrook, Reaves for Hayward, Oubre works just fine.  Charlotte clears a year from Hayward and gets a young player.

If Charlotte wanted someone like THT then they could swap Rozier for Oubre and really clear long term salary.  So Westbrook, Reaves, THT for Hayward, Rozier.

Charlotte has 1 year of Westbrook and then wipes out their long term bad or badish contracts and then has a nice clean cap to fully build around Ball, Bridges, Washington, etc. 

And part of the reason to clear Hayward (and potentially Rozier) after next year is they'd be able to sign a max level contract before they have to pay Ball, so they could really build around him.

But there's not going to be any savior coming through free agency. Charlotte has way better odds of using Hayward's contract as matching salary for a star than they do signing a stud free agent.

And I'd bet Jordan wants to win right now and isn't going to undermine next season by shedding salary for useless players.

[Big333223]

Yeah, the Westbrook thing doesn't make any sense for Charlotte. They won 43 games last year and Ball hasn't turned 21 yet. They have a decent core of Ball/Rozier/Bridges/Washington where no one will be older than 28 next season. They want to step up into contention, not throw away a year on a toxic locker room presence so they can have a ton of cap space to waste when no one signs with them in '23.

I also don't think the Hayward contract is so unmovable. $30 mil sounds like a lot but next season there are going to be 11 NBA players making more than $40 mil. Hayward isn't even going to be a top 40 most expensive contracts. His health is a gamble but if Charlotte's goal was just future flexibility there are plenty of teams that would take a flier on Hayward and wouldn't force Charlotte to take on such a negative as Westbrook.

If the Jazz get bounced early and look to shake things up, a Gobert swap would make a ton of sense. Charlotte would have to throw in a little extra for salary but to get their defensive anchor and shore up their starting 5 it would be worth it. It's a gamble for the Jazz but the talk has been about the Jazz breaking things up for months now.

[Goldstar88]

Yeah, the Westbrook thing doesn't make any sense for Charlotte. They won 43 games last year and Ball hasn't turned 21 yet. They have a decent core of Ball/Rozier/Bridges/Washington where no one will be older than 28 next season. They want to step up into contention, not throw away a year on a toxic locker room presence so they can have a ton of cap space to waste when no one signs with them in '23.

I also don't think the Hayward contract is so unmovable. $30 mil sounds like a lot but next season there are going to be 11 NBA players making more than $40 mil. Hayward isn't even going to be a top 40 most expensive contracts. His health is a gamble but if Charlotte's goal was just future flexibility there are plenty of teams that would take a flier on Hayward and wouldn't force Charlotte to take on such a negative as Westbrook.

If the Jazz get bounced early and look to shake things up, a Gobert swap would make a ton of sense. Charlotte would have to throw in a little extra for salary but to get their defensive anchor and shore up their starting 5 it would be worth it. It's a gamble for the Jazz but the talk has been about the Jazz breaking things up for months now.

It only makes sense when the Lakers add a 1st round pick and it would be worth it to get Gordon, if it means you can get away from Westbrook. Lebron, AD and Gordo would be a solid trio “when” on the court. Hayward does not really fit in with the Hornets core anyway as he is already 32. Then Charlotte would do what Houston is doing with John Wall and tell Westbrook to stay home. Doubt he would agree to a buyout. I honestly don’t think there is a team in the NBA that Russell would help.

[SHAQATTACK]

I don't know why the hell Charlotte would want Westbrook.

TP !   He messes up TEAM play and is a jinx IMO

Hayward can fly to the moon for all I care …I want him as much as I would Westbrook….glade this over paid overrated glass doll is gone from Boston.

[Big333223]

Yeah, the Westbrook thing doesn't make any sense for Charlotte. They won 43 games last year and Ball hasn't turned 21 yet. They have a decent core of Ball/Rozier/Bridges/Washington where no one will be older than 28 next season. They want to step up into contention, not throw away a year on a toxic locker room presence so they can have a ton of cap space to waste when no one signs with them in '23.

I also don't think the Hayward contract is so unmovable. $30 mil sounds like a lot but next season there are going to be 11 NBA players making more than $40 mil. Hayward isn't even going to be a top 40 most expensive contracts. His health is a gamble but if Charlotte's goal was just future flexibility there are plenty of teams that would take a flier on Hayward and wouldn't force Charlotte to take on such a negative as Westbrook.

If the Jazz get bounced early and look to shake things up, a Gobert swap would make a ton of sense. Charlotte would have to throw in a little extra for salary but to get their defensive anchor and shore up their starting 5 it would be worth it. It's a gamble for the Jazz but the talk has been about the Jazz breaking things up for months now.

It only makes sense when the Lakers add a 1st round pick and it would be worth it to get Gordon, if it means you can get away from Westbrook. Lebron, AD and Gordo would be a solid trio “when” on the court. Hayward does not really fit in with the Hornets core anyway as he is already 32. Then Charlotte would do what Houston is doing with John Wall and tell Westbrook to stay home. Doubt he would agree to a buyout. I honestly don’t think there is a team in the NBA that Russell would help.

Even with his injury history, I think the Hornets can do better for Hayward than Nothing+1st rounder. And I think they'd be more interested in getting a rotation player than a pick anyway. You're right that Hayward doesn't fit but Westbrook fits even worse.

The upside for the Lakers is obvious. For Charlotte, I don't see it.

[celticsclay]

Yeah, the Westbrook thing doesn't make any sense for Charlotte. They won 43 games last year and Ball hasn't turned 21 yet. They have a decent core of Ball/Rozier/Bridges/Washington where no one will be older than 28 next season. They want to step up into contention, not throw away a year on a toxic locker room presence so they can have a ton of cap space to waste when no one signs with them in '23.

I also don't think the Hayward contract is so unmovable. $30 mil sounds like a lot but next season there are going to be 11 NBA players making more than $40 mil. Hayward isn't even going to be a top 40 most expensive contracts. His health is a gamble but if Charlotte's goal was just future flexibility there are plenty of teams that would take a flier on Hayward and wouldn't force Charlotte to take on such a negative as Westbrook.

If the Jazz get bounced early and look to shake things up, a Gobert swap would make a ton of sense. Charlotte would have to throw in a little extra for salary but to get their defensive anchor and shore up their starting 5 it would be worth it. It's a gamble for the Jazz but the talk has been about the Jazz breaking things up for months now.

It only makes sense when the Lakers add a 1st round pick and it would be worth it to get Gordon, if it means you can get away from Westbrook. Lebron, AD and Gordo would be a solid trio “when” on the court. Hayward does not really fit in with the Hornets core anyway as he is already 32. Then Charlotte would do what Houston is doing with John Wall and tell Westbrook to stay home. Doubt he would agree to a buyout. I honestly don’t think there is a team in the NBA that Russell would help.

Even with his injury history, I think the Hornets can do better for Hayward than Nothing+1st rounder. And I think they'd be more interested in getting a rotation player than a pick anyway. You're right that Hayward doesn't fit but Westbrook fits even worse.

The upside for the Lakers is obvious. For Charlotte, I don't see it.

All these reports reek of Klutch/Lebron trying to get rid of Westbrook. I can't totally discount them cause Jordan is an idiot, but yeah, really can't punt a year if you are Charlotte coming off one of your more exciting recent seasons with a bunch of young players and a star in Ball. That is the kind of thing that gets you relocated to Vegas or Seattle.

[kraidstar]

Yeah, the Westbrook thing doesn't make any sense for Charlotte. They won 43 games last year and Ball hasn't turned 21 yet. They have a decent core of Ball/Rozier/Bridges/Washington where no one will be older than 28 next season. They want to step up into contention, not throw away a year on a toxic locker room presence so they can have a ton of cap space to waste when no one signs with them in '23.

I also don't think the Hayward contract is so unmovable. $30 mil sounds like a lot but next season there are going to be 11 NBA players making more than $40 mil. Hayward isn't even going to be a top 40 most expensive contracts. His health is a gamble but if Charlotte's goal was just future flexibility there are plenty of teams that would take a flier on Hayward and wouldn't force Charlotte to take on such a negative as Westbrook.

If the Jazz get bounced early and look to shake things up, a Gobert swap would make a ton of sense. Charlotte would have to throw in a little extra for salary but to get their defensive anchor and shore up their starting 5 it would be worth it. It's a gamble for the Jazz but the talk has been about the Jazz breaking things up for months now.

It only makes sense when the Lakers add a 1st round pick and it would be worth it to get Gordon, if it means you can get away from Westbrook. Lebron, AD and Gordo would be a solid trio “when” on the court. Hayward does not really fit in with the Hornets core anyway as he is already 32. Then Charlotte would do what Houston is doing with John Wall and tell Westbrook to stay home. Doubt he would agree to a buyout. I honestly don’t think there is a team in the NBA that Russell would help.

Even with his injury history, I think the Hornets can do better for Hayward than Nothing+1st rounder. And I think they'd be more interested in getting a rotation player than a pick anyway. You're right that Hayward doesn't fit but Westbrook fits even worse.

The upside for the Lakers is obvious. For Charlotte, I don't see it.

All these reports reek of Klutch/Lebron trying to get rid of Westbrook. I can't totally discount them cause Jordan is an idiot, but yeah, really can't punt a year if you are Charlotte coming off one of your more exciting recent seasons with a bunch of young players and a star in Ball. That is the kind of thing that gets you relocated to Vegas or Seattle.

The other problem with this is that you can't just tell Westbrook to sit. He will demand a buyout. Which would mean losing his expiring as an asset for a big trade.

[celticsclay]

Yeah, the Westbrook thing doesn't make any sense for Charlotte. They won 43 games last year and Ball hasn't turned 21 yet. They have a decent core of Ball/Rozier/Bridges/Washington where no one will be older than 28 next season. They want to step up into contention, not throw away a year on a toxic locker room presence so they can have a ton of cap space to waste when no one signs with them in '23.

I also don't think the Hayward contract is so unmovable. $30 mil sounds like a lot but next season there are going to be 11 NBA players making more than $40 mil. Hayward isn't even going to be a top 40 most expensive contracts. His health is a gamble but if Charlotte's goal was just future flexibility there are plenty of teams that would take a flier on Hayward and wouldn't force Charlotte to take on such a negative as Westbrook.

If the Jazz get bounced early and look to shake things up, a Gobert swap would make a ton of sense. Charlotte would have to throw in a little extra for salary but to get their defensive anchor and shore up their starting 5 it would be worth it. It's a gamble for the Jazz but the talk has been about the Jazz breaking things up for months now.

It only makes sense when the Lakers add a 1st round pick and it would be worth it to get Gordon, if it means you can get away from Westbrook. Lebron, AD and Gordo would be a solid trio “when” on the court. Hayward does not really fit in with the Hornets core anyway as he is already 32. Then Charlotte would do what Houston is doing with John Wall and tell Westbrook to stay home. Doubt he would agree to a buyout. I honestly don’t think there is a team in the NBA that Russell would help.

Even with his injury history, I think the Hornets can do better for Hayward than Nothing+1st rounder. And I think they'd be more interested in getting a rotation player than a pick anyway. You're right that Hayward doesn't fit but Westbrook fits even worse.

The upside for the Lakers is obvious. For Charlotte, I don't see it.

All these reports reek of Klutch/Lebron trying to get rid of Westbrook. I can't totally discount them cause Jordan is an idiot, but yeah, really can't punt a year if you are Charlotte coming off one of your more exciting recent seasons with a bunch of young players and a star in Ball. That is the kind of thing that gets you relocated to Vegas or Seattle.

The other problem with this is that you can't just tell Westbrook to sit. He will demand a buyout. Which would mean losing his expiring as an asset for a big trade.

Yep. This is a lot of wishful thinking by Klutch and Lebron. Think it makes sense for the Lakers to just buy him out themselves rather than trying to find some weird situation where they take on a longer bad contract and lose a draft pick in the process.

[SHAQATTACK]

He needs less of a role than more .  He is full of it.

[tenn_smoothie]

Yeah, the Westbrook thing doesn't make any sense for Charlotte. They won 43 games last year and Ball hasn't turned 21 yet. They have a decent core of Ball/Rozier/Bridges/Washington where no one will be older than 28 next season. They want to step up into contention, not throw away a year on a toxic locker room presence so they can have a ton of cap space to waste when no one signs with them in '23.

I also don't think the Hayward contract is so unmovable. $30 mil sounds like a lot but next season there are going to be 11 NBA players making more than $40 mil. Hayward isn't even going to be a top 40 most expensive contracts. His health is a gamble but if Charlotte's goal was just future flexibility there are plenty of teams that would take a flier on Hayward and wouldn't force Charlotte to take on such a negative as Westbrook.

If the Jazz get bounced early and look to shake things up, a Gobert swap would make a ton of sense. Charlotte would have to throw in a little extra for salary but to get their defensive anchor and shore up their starting 5 it would be worth it. It's a gamble for the Jazz but the talk has been about the Jazz breaking things up for months now.

It only makes sense when the Lakers add a 1st round pick and it would be worth it to get Gordon, if it means you can get away from Westbrook. Lebron, AD and Gordo would be a solid trio “when” on the court. Hayward does not really fit in with the Hornets core anyway as he is already 32. Then Charlotte would do what Houston is doing with John Wall and tell Westbrook to stay home. Doubt he would agree to a buyout. I honestly don’t think there is a team in the NBA that Russell would help.

Even with his injury history, I think the Hornets can do better for Hayward than Nothing+1st rounder. And I think they'd be more interested in getting a rotation player than a pick anyway. You're right that Hayward doesn't fit but Westbrook fits even worse.

The upside for the Lakers is obvious. For Charlotte, I don't see it.

Charlotte gets an expiring contract that is over before Hayward & maybe Rozier ? Jordan is obsessed with the salary cap. He has never payed a luxury tax and cares more about money than winning - a little surprising given his competitiveness as a player. I love seeing the Lakers in this mess and it's even better because Lebron and his ego are a big reason behind LA's problems. The glitz and glamour has finally blown up in their face. If they don't find a way out quick, look for Lebron to bolt for a better situation - just one of the reasons I don't consider the guy as great as some people. Sure, physically, he is a monster. But there is a mental side to this game that he has failed at several times.