On Thursday, shortly before the NBA trade deadline, the Oklahoma City Thunder threw their hat into the league’s biggest soap opera by trading for Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward in exchange for a package of players centered around Tre Mann. Hayward figures to provide some much-needed wing depth and a veteran presence to a Thunder team that otherwise wouldn’t appear to have very many holes on their roster, despite their youth.
However, it seems that Hayward will have to wait to make his debut in his new threads. The NBA official injury report is listing the 33 year-old as being out for Oklahoma City’s next game, Saturday afternoon on the road against the Dallas Mavericks, who coincidentally also did business with the Hornets on Thursday, trading for their power forward PJ Washington.
Still, once he does get healthy, Gordon Hayward will certainly provide a big boost to a Thunder team that has hit a bit of a rough patch on what has otherwise been an excellent season. Hayward was a fringe All-Star during his time with the Utah Jazz in the mid-2010’s before a devastating leg injury in his Boston Celtics debut set his timeline back a full year.
While he no longer possesses the same level of athleticism as he did earlier in his career, Hayward still has a veteran savvy and solid three-level scoring ability that should help diversify a Thunder offense that can rely a bit too heavily on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at times.
The Thunder and Mavericks are slated to tip off at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday.
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