Former All-Star being monitored as potential buyout candidate
Gordon Hayward is in the final year of his four-year $120 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets. The former All-Star forward has struggled with consistent injury issues throughout his tenure in South Carolina. Those issues began when he broke his leg during his debut for the Boston Celtics in 2017. He has never since reached the level of performance he displayed during his final years with the Utah Jazz.
Hayward is still seen as a valuable rotation player, though. His ability to handle the rock, generate offense for his teammates and score across all three levels makes him the ideal point-forward in a modern offense. With his contract winding down and the Hornets rebuilding their roster around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, his position on the roster is coming into question.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, multiple teams around the league are monitoring Hayward as a potential buy-out candidate.
“Gordon Hayward is absolutely for the taking, that on an expiring contract has more likelihood than ever to get moved," Fischer said during a recent podcast appearance. "That being said, because of the expiring [contract] a lot of teams are also looking at Hayward as a buyout possibility."
It is worth noting that if brought out of his deal by the Hornets, Hayward would be unlikely to land on a genuine contending team. Due to the new salary cap rules that came into force at the start of the season, a significant portion of contenders fall under the second apron of the luxury tax. That limits them from acquiring players off the buyout market who were earning more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Still, Hayward could potentially land with a team that believes he is the missing piece to their bench rotation. During his tenure with the Hornets, Hayward has averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, shooting 46.9% from the field and 37.9% from 3-point range. That type of production rarely becomes available via the buyout market.
Of course, an interested team could look to acquire Hayward via trade and shed his salary in the summer. Yet, creating a trade package that both matches salary and entices the Hornets would be difficult.
Therefore, Hayward is probably either going to see out the final months of his deal in Charlotte or hit the buyout market in the coming months. Either way, he will likely find himself on a new team by the end of the year.
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