According to The Athletics Shams Charania, the Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired veteran All-Star forward Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets, in exchange for Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic and draft compensation. Hayward is making $31.5 million this season and is set to hit free agency this summer.
The 33-year-old Hayward, who spent time with the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz, has spent the past three-plus seasons with Charlotte team that hasn’t reached the playoffs. However he has been plagued with injuries, and hasn’t played since Dec. 26 due to a left calf issue. Hayward has played 52 or fewer games in each of the past five seasons, including 25 games this season.
In 25 games, Hayward’s averaging 14.5 points on 48.6% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He’s shot 36.1% from 3 on 2.4 attempts, with nearly all of his 3-pointers resulting in assists (95.5%). Meanwhile, Mann’s been averaging 8.5 points on 39.7% shooting, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in three seasons.
Editorial credit: Semper Fidelis / Shutterstock.com