The Hornets Will Reportedly Trade Gordon Hayward To The Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the biggest surprise in the NBA this season, as the team currently sits on top of the Western Conference as part of a three-way tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets. Entering the trade deadline, a major question was whether they’d dip into their gigantic pool of assets in an attempt to add some reinforcements, and while we’ll have to wait and see if a major swing is coming, the team is adding some veteran reinforcements on the wing.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Oklahoma City agreed to a deal with the Charlotte Hornets to bring Gordon Hayward on board.

Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN both added details regarding what Charlotte will get back. While Davis Bertans is on his way out as a way to make the deal work financially, the Hornets will get Tre Mann, the No. 18 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and the sort of young upside swing a team in Charlotte’s position can take.

While injuries have followed Hayward everywhere over the last few years, he’s managed to be a productive player when he’s gotten on the floor, and the Thunder theoretically won’t need him to do everything when he plays. On the year, Hayward has started all 25 games in which he’s appeared, and he’s averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 31.9 minutes per game while shooting 36.1 percent from three.