Oklahoma City Thunder makes trade with Charlotte Hornets for Gordon Hayward

This Thursday, the 8th, the 2024 trade deadline for NBA. In this way, according to the journalist Adrian Wojnarowskifrom the North American “ESPN”, the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired the veteran Gordon Hayward in a negotiation with the Charlotte Hornetswhich received the shipowners Tre Mann It is Vasilije Micicin addition to the wing Davis Bertans. The state franchise Oklahoma also sent a choice of Draft to the North Carolineas he is still entitled to 37 picks over the next seven years.

Hayward was one of the players who was virtually certain to change teams this offseason. The 33-year-old winger has an expiring contract worth US$31.5 million and does not fit into a team that does not fight for anything, given his quality. In this way, some teams were keeping an eye on what they could do to have the veteran on the squad.

However, even though he was a great player, his history of injuries always hindered Gordon from establishing himself in the league. After playing more than 70 games in six of his first seven years, the number 20 suffered the famous injury that marked his career in the first game of 2017/18, marking his departure from the Utah Jazz for the Boston Celtics. Furthermore, the multiple injuries also appeared in decisive moments, such as in the playoffs with the franchise of Massachusettswhich led to his departure through free agency in 2020.

With the trade for Hayward, the Thunder make it even clearer that they intend to be a title contender during the playoffs. Currently, the team is leading the Western Conference, with 35 wins and 16 losses. Furthermore, it boasts the second best record in the entire league, behind only the Celtics, who are 39-12.