Gordon Hayward misses another game. Is his time with Charlotte Hornets almost over?

When Gordon Hayward inked that mega contract in 2020, becoming the highest paid player in Charlotte Hornets’ history until LaMelo Ball’s deal kicks in next season, the road wasn’t supposed to be littered with basketball-sized potholes.

Hayward planned on building a formidable duo with Terry Rozier, joining forces with the same guy he played with in Boston to bring a winning product to Charlotte. It never happened, and certainly won’t now with Rozier sent to Miami, beginning the deconstruction — and retooling — of the Hornets’ flawed roster.

“Having guys get traded is always tough because you build relationships and get to know people,” Hayward said before sitting out the Hornets’ 123-117 loss to Toronto at Spectrum Center on Wednesday night. “It’s just part of the business.

“It certainly didn’t go the way we wanted to but I wish him nothing but the best. I always root for teammates of mine.”

With Thursday’s NBA trade trade deadline drawing closer, there’s a possibility Hayward could be calling a new cast of characters teammates. His days with the Hornets, from all indications, are numbered.

In the final season of the four-year, $120 million pact he inked, Hayward might be on the move like Rozier. While rumors churn about PJ Washington and Miles Bridges, who recorded a new career best with 45 points against Toronto, Hayward’s name has been off the radar, partially because he hadn’t been in a real game since the day after Christmas, missing 22 games over the last six weeks with a strained left calf.

He knows his time with the franchise could be dwindling to minutes.

“I love Charlotte, my family loves it here,” Hayward said. “So, I would love to be here and play my best to try to help us turn it around.”

But the 33-year-old’s timeline and the Hornets’ paths are crisscrossing. Breaking up the roster as currently constructed seems inevitable, whether it happens now or during the upcoming offseason when the franchise will be positioned for another premium lottery pick.

All the signs appear to be pointing in that direction.

“Yeah, I think that’s something for the powers that be to decide,” Hayward said. “As a player, it’s hard, I think, mentally to play in games, especially when you are younger and haven’t been through it. I’ve been through it a lot. Here, this is my 14th year and guys come and go on your team and realize it’s just a business. It will be interesting these next couple of days to see what happens.

“Like I said, we’ll let the guys that, that’s what their job (is). We’ll let them do that. We’ve just got to try to go out there and play hard and play to win.”

If the Hornets find the right deal to move Hayward prior to Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, he’ll be out the door to a new locale. Not many teams possess the cap space to add his salary to their books, though, and the Hornets likely wouldn’t want to bring on any undesirable contracts that could choke their books long-term.

Options are limited, but there’s rumblings that at least one Western Conference team has interest.

Should nothing materialize, Hayward would be a buyout candidate, giving another team the opportunity to bring him at a much lower salary number. Following Rozier’s departure two weeks ago, league sources suggested that was the most likely outcome.

But there is apparently a small market for Hayward. Either way, one league source indicated Wednesday that Hayward’s time with the Hornets is up.

“He’s gone,” the source said.

Hayward’s days with the Hornets have been marred by injuries, something that puts extra burden on the bench players and throws a kink in the rotation. The latest injury has sidelined the veteran forward for nearly half the season.

“It’s just going to take another day or so,” coach Steve Clifford said. “He’s close, he’s done a lot. You just have to be careful. The calf is a funny one. We just want to make sure that he’s 100% comfortable and ready to go.”

Hayward hasn’t played a full season during his tenure in Charlotte, with 50 being the high-water mark in 2022-23. In all, he’s been available for just 58.3% of the Hornets’ games, which includes the absences in Charlotte’s two play-in tournament losses.

He’s logged minutes in only 168 of 288 games over the duration of his contract.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Hayward said. “It’s tough always dealing with injuries and me and you have talked about lots of times before. It’s the worst part of sports.”

About the lone bright spot these last few weeks? Having a courtside view of Brandon Miller’s impressive stretch, watching the rookie go off and elevate his game.

Miller posted 20 points against the Raptors, continuing his impressive stretch after tossing in 33 points in their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He also recorded a career-best 35 points earlier in the week versus Indiana, becoming the first rookie this season and the first in team history to post consecutive 30-point outings.

“He’s doing a great job,” Hayward said. “He’s really starting to get comfortable out there. I think that’s what I’ve seen, is just his comfort level out there. Which is something you’ve just got to be able to (do) to play, is play through mistakes. And you can tell right now, he’s in a great rhythm and the game is slowing down for him and he’s getting to his spots. He’s playing really well.”

Whether Hayward is still on the same team for much longer with Miller remains to be seen.

“This is a hard day for everybody and I understand that,” Clifford said. “It’s hard for the guys. We’ll just see what happens.”