In the NBA, contract sizes matter. On the one hand, you don’t want to have bad contracts on the books. On the other hand, you want tradeable ones. Having a number of medium-sized contracts can help you get a player you’d like.
For example, take the San Antonio Spurs. They’ve got plenty of deals on their books that fit that description. Arguably, they’ve got too many. The Spurs won’t be able to play every player on their roster next season.
Meanwhile, they’ve got useful veterans that another team would covet. If possible, they should look to aggregate some of those deals in a trade for a higher-paid player. How about Gordon Hayward of the Charlotte Hornets?
The Trade Proposal
Charlotte Hornets Receive: G Devonte’ Graham, G/F Reggie Bullock, F/C Khem Birch
San Antonio Spurs Receive: F Gordon Hayward
In fact, contract sizes are about to matter more. Teams are still thinking about how they’ll adjust to life under the new CBA. Basically, the new rules will make it more punitive to go over the cap. With that in mind, teams are going to want to manage their books more rigidly than ever before.
Sometimes, that might mean letting a good player fall by the wayside. That could be an unfortunate side effect of the new rules. Teams may not feel that they’ve got room for quality role players. Is that why the Hornets haven’t retained P.J. Washington yet? We’re not sure.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Gordon Hayward, San Antonio Spurs & Charlotte Hornets Updates
Still, it feels odd that they haven’t made him an offer as a restricted free agent. Perhaps they’re being frugal. Should they really take all of these contracts on?
Why The Charlotte Hornets Do The Deal
Actually, that question is a little misleading. Of these three contracts, two are expiring. The outlier contract belongs to Graham. That’s fine. The Hornets could use a sturdy backup point guard anyway, and Graham is familiar with the organization having played there before.
Otherwise, Bullock and Birch are both solid veterans who should crack this rotation. The former is an archetypical 3-and-D wing, while the latter should handle spot minutes as a backup 5.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Gordon Hayward, San Antonio Spurs & Charlotte Hornets Updates
Finally, it’s been rumored that Hayward would like to leave Charlotte for a while. If that’s true, the Hornets have an extra incentive to get this deal done. Should the Spurs be interested in taking him on?
Why The San Antonio Spurs Do The Deal
This is a big season for the Spurs. They’ll be welcoming Victor Wembanyama into the fold. Thus, every decision they make will be made under a microscope. The entire NBA-watching world will be interested to see what the Spurs do. Is this the right move for them?
We think so. Again – San Antonio has too many players to fit into their rotation. They need to consolidate. Here, they’re landing the best player in the deal.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Gordon Hayward, San Antonio Spurs & Charlotte Hornets Updates
Hayward may not be the star player that he used to be. He’s still a solid playmaking wing who offers some floor spacing. Finally, he’s also on an expiring contract: For the Spurs, that’s as important as anything else.
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