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Oklahoma City adds some playoff depth with its deal for Gordon Hayward.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been among the West’s elite all season and are taking steps to advance to the playoffs. The Thunder has worked a job to land former All-Star Gordon Hayward from the Hornets.
Thunder receives:
The hornets receive:
- Vasilije Micic
- Tre Mann
- Davis Bertans
- 2024 second-round draft pick (via Houston)
- 2025 second-round draft pick (via Philadelphia)
- Cash considerations
What the trade means for Thunder: The Thunder entered Thursday’s action as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, essentially tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets; The LA Clippers are right behind and the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans are within striking distance.
Hayward’s move gives the Thunder an additional ball-handler and playmaker to take some of those burdens off of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his backcourt running mate, Josh Giddey. It’s unclear whether Hayward will move into the starting lineup or take his place off the bench, as Oklahoma City regularly plays Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander as its starting five.
If Hayward came off the bench, he would provide offense to the second unit. However, Hayward has been slowed by injuries and has appeared in just 25 of Charlotte’s 50 games this season. He averages 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46.8% overall and 36.1% on three-pointers.
While he’s a far cry from his All-Star days with the Utah Jazz, he’s still a reliable scorer and playmaker who should provide OKC with some veteran knowledge and more as the season winds down.
What the trade means for the Hornets: Mann, the 18th overall pick in the 2021 draft, is averaging 3.8 points per game, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 13 games for OKC this season. His production has steadily declined since his rookie season, when he recorded 10.4 points per game, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 60 games for the Thunder.
Micic, a rookie, is posting 3.3 points per game and 2.5 points per game in 30 games for the Thunder after being selected with the 52nd pick in the 2014 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Bertans (2.9 points per game, 41.7% on three-pointers) is a veteran who plays sparingly this season. His $16 million salary for next season is not fully guaranteed, while Mann has a team option for 2024-25 since he still has his rookie contract.
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