Gordon Hayward – Charlotte Hornets
This may come as a surprise to some, but Gordon Hayward’s time in Charlotte is definitely up-in-the-air. The Charlotte Hornets signed the former All-Star last offseason and he was an essential piece of their core last year, but he is now 31-years-old and Hayward’s upside is definitely limited given his injury past.
There is no doubt that Gordon Hayward can continue being one of the best scorers on this Charlotte Hornets’ roster and a player on the wing who can be a reliable facilitator as well, but the Hornets are one of the league’s youngest teams.
Miles Bridges stepped up into a bigger role last season for the Charlotte Hornets, as did both Cody Martin and Jalen McDaniels. Plus, the Hornets recently added Kelly Oubre Jr. and rookie James Bouknight in the offseason, creating a logjam on the wing.
Figuring out who is the future of this organization next to LaMelo Ball is going to be the No. 1 priority for this team and while they did not extend his contract prior to the start of this season, Miles Bridges is definitely the guy to keep an eye on this year, as he could wind up overtaking Gordon Hayward in terms of value.
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At just 23-years-old, Bridges not only turned himself into a 40% three-point shooter, but he is an above-average defender on the wing for the Charlotte Hornets because of his athleticism and the fact that it is almost impossible to slow him down once he gets going in transition. Given Ball’s passing abilities and Bridges’ athleticism, we could see these two connect for a lot of fastbreak opportunities this season, turning defense into instant offense for the Hornets.
Gordon Hayward is not this kind of player anymore and with his value still being relatively high, the Hornets could realistically look to trade him near the trade deadline in order to capitalize on his value. The center position has always been in question for the Charlotte Hornets and one player they could have a shot at targeting in a potential Hayward trade is Pacers big man Myles Turner, who the Hornets have shown a lot of interest in through the years.
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No trade is present and on the table at the moment and the two sides have not talked about this potential deal, but as the new season progresses, this trade could wind up making more and more sense for both the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers. This is just one example too, as there are probably a handful of teams around the league that would be interested in trading for Gordon Hayward.
The Charlotte Hornets are a young team on the rise in this league and in time, they are going to be a formidable force in the Eastern Conference. Moving some of their veterans for more long-term value could be something that winds up appeasing this front-office, depending on how they perform during the first half of the regular season.
