Former Hornet Gordon Hayward Announces Retirement

On to the next chapter of life for the veteran forward.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Former Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward announced on X Thursday morning that he is retiring from basketball.

Thank you 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/fqbw3WML0n

— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) August 1, 2024

Hayward played 14 years in the NBA, spending three seasons and some change with the Charlotte Hornets. After seven years in Utah and four in Boston, Hayward landed in Charlotte on a massive four-year, $120 million deal that raised the expectations for the guys in purple and teal. Unfortunately, not much came out of his tenure in Buzz City thanks to missing a large chunk of time due to injury. In 168 games with the team, Hayward averaged 16.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 44% from the field and 36% from three-point range.

At the trade deadline, the Hornets shipped him to the Oklahoma City in exchange for Vasilije Micic, Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, a 2024 second-round draft pick (via Houston), a 2025 second-round draft pick (via Philadelphia), and cash considerations. Although the Hornets didn't land a big name in the trade, they were able to get more assets than most expected for an aging forward with a long history of injuries.

Hayward was expected to be a quality bench piece for a very young Thunder team, but failed to make much of an impact He appeared in 26 games and averaged just 5.3 points per contest.

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