Grade the Trade: Hornets Send Hayward to Thunder

Our staff provides analysis of the Hornets' decision to trade Gordon Hayward.

Thursday morning, The Charlotte Hornets are set to trade veteran forward Gordon Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for guard Tre Mann, forward Davis Bertans and former Euroleague MVP (2021) Vasilije Micic and Draft compensation, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Here's how our staff graded the trade for the Hornets:

Austin Leake: A

Very impressed with Mitch Kupchak that he was able to get something for Hayward’s expiring contract. Mann will be a great fit with the Hornets young core and if Bertans were to stay, he would provide much-needed shooting off the bench. Tre Mann was the odd man out in the future of the team, but his fit in Charlotte couldn’t be more perfect.

Pat Fitzsimmons: A-

Hornets move on from Hayward without having to buy him out and get back a young guard who can score in Tre Mann, and a stretch four in Bertans both with two years left on their contract. This helps support the rumors of PJ on the move with acquisition of a stretch 4 who is making 17 million a year.

Matt Alquiza: B+

Ideally, Charlotte would have received a future pick in the deal. Lord knows OKC has plenty, but I love taking a swing on Mann. He’s a great addition to a young Charlotte squad in need of guard depth. Bertans is a wonderful connective piece off the bench for a contending team and if he sticks around his three point shooting will be great for Charlotte.

Ian Black: B+

Tre Mann was a much-needed addition of stability and upside to a roster in desperate need of some help at guard, especially with LaMelo on the shelf. Trading out Hayward's expiring $31.5M contract with Bertans’ 2-year, $33M remaining isn’t perfect, but he’s a knockdown shooter at 41.7% for the season and 39.8% for his career. You can never have enough of those guys on a roster. Add in the fact that the contract will carry some mighty value in salary matching for trades in the future, and you can’t help but be fine with it. Unfortunate end to the Hayward era in Charlotte, leaving everyone with a whole lot of “what could have been,” but this deal makes great sense for both sides.

Atticus Ferguson: B+

Extracting any value for Gordon Hayward given his recent recurring injury history is noteworthy. Bertans is owed $16 million next season, but can also opt out due to an early termination option in his contract. Taking on a larger salary into next season isn’t entirely ideal, but this Hornets “re-tooling” will far exceed the one season remaining on Bertans’ deal. Bertans could very well be in the trade rumor mill again this time next season when he has an expiring contract that could be enticing to the market.

Tre Mann is a low risk addition in hopes of finding something reliable in the backup guard rotation moving for Charlotte. With the mystery surrounding LaMelo Ball’s availability, if nothing else, this helps Charlotte piece together a roster to complete the 82 game season in one piece. 

Gordon seems like a great guy, but I’m not keen on employing people who are unable to show up to work on a consistent basis. The fact of the matter is, Gordon Hayward is paid to play basketball for a living, and is rarely able to do so. When healthy, he’s surely a contributor, but Charlotte couldn’t afford to roll the dice on his health any longer in my opinion.

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