Charlotte Hornets trade Gordon Hayward to Oklahoma City Thunder, source says

Roderick Boone
·2 min read
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The Gordon Hayward Era is officially finished.

Hours after The Observer reported his time was up in Charlotte, the Hornets agreed to send their highest-paid player to Oklahoma City for Tre Mann, Dāvis Bertāns, Vasilije Micić and second-round picks in 2024 and 2025, a league source confirmed.

Signed to the most lucrative deal in franchise history in 2020, Hayward never panned out with the Hornets. His four seasons were mostly a disappointment and marred by myriad injuries, leaving everyone frustrated with his lack of availability. He never played a full season with Charlotte.

Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward lines up a three-point basket during second half action against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, October 30, 2023 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. The Nets defeated the Hornets 133-121. JEFF SINER/jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward lines up a three-point basket during second half action against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, October 30, 2023 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. The Nets defeated the Hornets 133-121. JEFF SINER/jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

Hayward missed the Hornets’ past 22 games nursing a strained left calf, the latest injury in a career filled with them. The 50 games he logged in 2022-23 were the most during his tenure.

Overall, he was available for just 58.3% of the Hornets’ games, which includes the absences in Charlotte’s two play-in tournament losses, and saw action in only 168 of 288 games.

But he’s gone now and the Hornets will see what they have in Mann and Bertāns.

Mann, 22, is in his third year. A point guard, he’s appeared in 13 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He has one year and $4.9 million left on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent in 2025. One league source said Mann could wind up being a nice pick up for the Hornets if he can continue to develop.

Bertāns, 31, is earning $17 million this season and has an early termination option for the final year of his contract, meaning he can become a free agent in July if he decides he can get more than the $16 million he’s owed for 2024-25. The center has appeared in just 13 games this season and has been sidelined since Jan. 31 with a knee injury.

Micić, a Serbian national and former EuroLeague MVP, has played in only 30 of the Thunder’s 51 games this season, posting 3.3 points and 2.2 assists in 12 minutes. The 30-year-old guard has struggled with his shot, nailing 40.7% overall and 24.4% from 3-point range.