Gordon Hayward
If the Charlotte Hornets are feeling buyer’s remorse over Gordon Hayward, we can’t blame them. He’s still a productive player, but it’s hard to justify his $30.1 million price tag.
The Lakers could. They’re in an urgent win-now situation with LeBron nearing retirement (not to mention, free agency). Plus, they’d be swapping out Westbrook in the process of acquiring Hayward.
After all, Westbrook and a first-round pick should be uniquely appealing to the Hornets. They’ve got a significant incentive to clear cap space. Miles Bridges is set to hit restricted free agency, and LaMelo Ball’s rookie extension is forthcoming.
With Hayward’s deal running for two more seasons after next year, and Westbrook’s expiring, they may be interested in making a deal.
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It would benefit the Lakers if they were. In 2021-22, Gordon Hayward averaged 15.9 points per game on a 57% True Shooting %. He added 3.6 assists to go with just 1.7 turnovers per game as well. As a floor spacer with some secondary self-creating abilities, Hayward is an ideal fit alongside LeBron James.
Given the disastrous Russell Westbrook experiment, that’s all these Lakers can ask for.