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Gordon Hayward reflects on the experience of last season's Hornets to Thunder trade

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Ali Jawad | Last updated Jan 18, 2025 9:08 AM ET

Each year, the NBA landscape shifts dramatically as players navigate free agency and teams orchestrate trades. Front offices will make every necessary decision to improve their rosters.

While saying farewell can be straightforward for the team, depending on the player's status, for others, it's as delicate as Billy Beane instructing Peter Brand on how to deliver the news in the film 'Moneyball'.

Leaving a team often comes with emotional goodbyes, attachments, and sacrifices as seen in the case of former Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward and his family, whom he had to leave behind after the veteran was dealt from the Hornets to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Drafted ninth overall by the Utah Jazz in 2010, Hayward enjoyed a 14-year NBA career across four teams. He spent his first seven seasons with the Jazz, earning an All-Star selection in 2017, before signing with the Boston Celtics, where he hoped to conclude his career.

“When I chose to play in Boston I remember saying like this is where I'm going to end my career like I didn't want to leave there," Hayward said on the Godsplaining podcast.

In his Celtics debut, Hayward suffered a devastating fracture of his left tibia and dislocated his ankle, ending his season. Remarkably, he made a full recovery and returned the following year, playing in 124 games for the Celtics over the next two seasons. However, the injury significantly impacted his performance, preventing him from consistently reaching his previous All-Star level.

After opting out of his $34.2 million player option with the Celtics, Hayward signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the team. He was later traded to the Hornets, along with second-round draft picks for 2023 and 2024, in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2022.

"I had talked and talked about like basically whatever God sends us like we're going to be happy," Hayward said. "We're going to make it work and that he must be sending us there for a reason and so we kind of had that like mantra we were moving to these different places you know."

Hayward played in the Queen City for three and a half seasons, averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over 168 games and helped lead Charlotte to a 43-39 finish in 2021-22 and a play in spot which the Hornets lost against the Atlanta Hawks, 132-103.

Midway through the 2023-2024 season, the veteran was traded to the Thunder in exchange for Dāvis Bertāns, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micić, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, and cash considerations.

Despite facing another career move, Hayward revealed his reluctance to be traded from Charlotte to Oklahoma City, citing the significant challenge of spending a considerable portion of the year away from his family.

"Speaking of OKC I didn’t really want to get traded," Hayward said. "So going there separated from that place my family actually didn’t come with me because they are all in school you know you can’t really move them out of school and it was during the middle of the year so I am kind of there by myself and they would come out and visit every now and again. That was a tough place to go to again really cool city with great people when you’re away from your family it doesn’t really matter where you’re at.”

Two months after the 2023-24 season, Hayward announced his retirement from the NBA last August. Since 2022, the Indiana native has enjoyed playing esports and has gaming endorsements with HyperX, Xfinity, and AutoFull.