How About Hayward?

Gordon Hayward has just two years (and $61.5 million) left on his contract. Julius Randle has four years (and $117 million) left on his deal.

Last week we began a series of posts examining some hypothetical trades involving Julius Randle. We will continue on that track today with a look at potential deals with Charlotte.

* The Charlotte Hornets send Gordon Hayward to the Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Kemba Walker and Jericho Sims.

The Hornets are a young team trending in the right direction. On the plus side, they finished four games above .500 in 2021-22 and have qualified for the Play-In Tournament in each of the past two seasons. However, Charlotte was blown out in the Tourney by the Pacers in 2021 and by the Hawks in 2022. The Hornets (who fired James Borrego as head coach and replaced him with Kenny Atkinson) have missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons. That is the longest drought in franchise history and the second-longest active streak in the NBA, trailing only the Kings.

Gordon Hayward, the team's highest-paid player by far (his $30 million salary last season was higher than the Hornets' next two most expensive players combined), ended the season on the sideline for the second consecutive year. 

Hayward signed a four-year, $128 million contract with the Celtics in 2017. He missed 111 regular-season games and 31 playoff games during his three seasons in Boston. Nevertheless, when Hayward opted out of the final year of his contract in 2020, the Hornets decided to ink him to a monstrous four-year, $120 million pact. After playing in just 44 games for Charlotte in 2020-21, Hayward appeared in only 49 games this past season due to a debilitating foot injury. 

Hayward has been as productive and efficient when he's been on the floor. During his first season as a Hornet, he averaged 19.6 points, 5.9 boards and 4.1 assists while shooting above 47% from the floor and 41.5% from downtown. However, those numbers dipped this past season, when he averaged less than 16 points to go along with 4.6 boards and 3.1 dimes.

According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, Hayward "would be interested in a change of scenery this offseason."

Charlotte has some difficult decisions to make this offseason, the most pressing among them the conundrum involving restricted free agent Miles Bridges, who posted career-highs across the board in 2021-22 (20.0 Pts, 3.9 Ast, 7.0 Reb, 1.0 Stl, 0.9 Blk, 49% FG, 32% 3pt, 81% FT). 

Charlotte offered Bridges $60 million over four years last summer, which Bridges and his agent wisely declined. After his breakout campaign, the burly forward is reportedly expected to seek a maximum salary of five years and $173 million next month. The Hornets obviously want to bring Bridges back, but are they convinced he's good enough to command max money? Keep in mind that budding superstar LaMelo Ball, who will undoubtedly sign a max pact, will become extension-eligible in 2023. 

Charlotte would prefer to sign Bridges to a contract that plateaus at around $25 million annually. However, if the Hornets hesitate or play hardball, another team may force their hand by inking him to a max offer sheet, which Charlotte would have the right to match. 

Trading Hayward for Randle would save Charlotte about $7 million next season. The issue, of course, is whether or not the team feels Randle would be a good fit alongside LaMelo. Considering Randle's propensity to demand the ball and serve as the focal point of his team's offensive attack, it would appear clunky at best. However, the Hornets' uptempo pace would accentuate some of Randle's best skills. And, unlike Hayward, Randle has been an ironman, playing in more than 90% of possible games over the past seven seasons. 

If the Hornets bring back Bridges at anything near max money, it's implausible they would consider trading for Randle (unless, I suppose, they felt he could play him the 5). If they re-sign Bridges, a sign-and-trade for Mitchell Robinson might make some sense, as Charlotte is in the market for a starting center.