The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded for Gordon Hayward, a veteran forward, from the Charlotte Hornets. In exchange, they’ve sent Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans, and additional draft assets to the Hornets. This trade was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
On paper, this is a solid deal for OKC. They didn’t have to give up much as Tre Mann and Davis Bertans were both mainstays on the bench. Micíc, the biggest mystery of the group, has perhaps the most distinct path to production, at least in the short term.
This is a low-risk, high-reward situation. Giving up three guys who collectively contributed 10.0 points per game in 9 minutes per game for a 33-year-old veteran wing in Hayward, who has hovered around 40% shooting from three for the majority of his career. In addition, Hayward is the definition of a catch-and-shoot player, with 95.5% of his 3-pointer being assisted.
This season, in 25 games, Hayward has averaged 14.5 points on 48..6% shooting, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
If this all flops, the Thunder let Hayward walk and pretty much break even. If it works out and he stays healthy, OKC has a near-15 ppg bench scorer that they didn’t have before and a security blanket in tough playoff matchups, plus veteran leadership, which is invaluable.
The only thing that has stopped Hayward is his health or lack thereof. The veteran hasn’t played a minute of basketball since Dec. 26 but is reportedly close to a return.
“Thunder just got a player that can close games for them,” said Zach Lowe. “He fills every need the Thunder had. I’m told he should be ready to play very soon, if not immediately for OKC. The Thunder did it. They made a win-now move. The top of the West has a contender that fortified itself.”
The most important question is how does Hayward fit? Well, contrary to all the ESPN and Bleacher Report graphics being posted on social media, Hayward likely won’t be a permanent start for OKC immediately. The “win” in this trade stems from the Thunder replacing three relatively unproductive bench players with a legit scoring option off the bench while providing OKC with two open roster sports.
Hayward has also played in six playoff series and a total of 29 playoff games, thus providing OKC with the veteran presence fans have been yearning for all this time.
Hayword isn’t the rebounding big man that the Thunder need, but he fills a void for the Thunder off the bench, who also serves as a security blanket.
