Trading Terry Rozier signals Hornets are open for business. Is Gordon Hayward next?
Go ahead and crack those knuckles and limber up the fingertips.
With two weeks left until the NBA trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets are likely just getting started. Sending Terry Rozier to South Florida for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick on Tuesday was the initial move. There could be at least one more on the horizon since the Hornets expect to be fully operative and engaged in the market leading into the Feb. 8 deadline.
“Yeah, we will be,” president of basketball operations/general manager Mitch Kupchak said. “This is early, right? I’m sure most people weren’t expecting something this far out from the deadline, so this is a little early. And one of the benefits of having done something early is that we’ve got more information now, and we can look at more opportunities knowing what we’ve just done.
“So, yeah, the trade deadline is still a week or so away and we will continue to be active.”
That begs the question: Who’s next?
Given the Hornets are trying to set themselves up for financial success, the most obvious candidate is their highest paid player. And multiple league sources believe he’s at the very top of the list.
Gordon Hayward’s four-year, $120 million pact expires after the season and the Hornets could use his 2023-24 cap figure of $31.5 million to reel in an asset or two. But there’s an issue the Hornets are facing as they attempt to move Hayward.
Since he’s hurt, what is his current trade value and is a team willing to gamble on his health?
Hayward hasn’t played since Dec. 26 after straining his left calf in Los Angeles against the Clippers, sitting out the Hornets’ past 13 games. And he told the Observer recently there’s no specific timetable for his return.
He’ll need time to ramp up his basketball activities before getting back on the court, and even then he wouldn’t have much time to prove his health before the trade deadline. Would a team think it’s worth it to part with some valuable assets or a young player for someone who has a deep injury history, and might not be able to be counted on heavily come postseason?
That could be a lot to ask, meaning the Hornets probably wouldn’t get a whole lot in return for Hayward’s services and what will essentially be a two-plus month rental. With financial flexibility a priority, the Hornets likely wouldn’t want to take on too much salary in return anyway if they traded Hayward.
But he doesn’t fit the Hornets’ roster retooling timeline and a split is almost certainly on the horizon. Two league sources suggested Hayward could be a buyout candidate, a move that’d allow the 33-year-old to sign with a preferred destination.
There is a slightly different wrinkle now with getting bought out, though. Many of the league’s championship contenders currently boast a payroll of more than $182 million, placing them above a certain threshold that hinders their ability to sign players who were waived.
“The number of teams would be limited that that player can go to with the first and second (tax) apron,” Kupchak said. “Not so much a consideration for us. Representatives that have players that are veterans, they’re waived and make more than the league average, I think it may limit their options.
“But overall it’s going to be good for the buyout market. So, I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of pressure or as much pressure as year’s past on teams to agree to buyouts because the options are going to be limited that these players can go to.”
