The Charlotte Hornets continue to chisel away at their crop of veteran players. After moving Terry Rozier, Charlotte traded Gordon Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and Davis Bertans, as well as draft compensation.
Hayward is averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, though he continues to deal with injury issues and hasn't played since Dec. 26. Charlotte gets a guard in Mann who was a first-round pick back in 2021 and still has plenty of upside. The Hornets also get Bertans, a sharpshooter who has been barely used this season, along with a rookie point guard in Micic. The 30-year-old is a smart, high-IQ backup for LaMelo Ball.
Thunder trade grade: B+
The Thunder secured a veteran player for a very young team. The average age of their roster before the trade was 23.9. The teams that make deep postseason runs usually are the veteran-laden teams that know how to react to adversity in high-pressure situations. Gordon Hayward has been a solid presence in the Hornets' locker room for years.
Unfortunately, Hayward has had his fair share of injuries. The veteran hasn't played in more than 50 games in any Charlotte season, and that's the only reason the trade is not an ‘A.'
But the reward could be bigger than the risk.
Giving up Micic, Mann, and Bertans doesn't hurt the rotation too much. Mann and Bertans are playing career lows in minutes and got lost in the rotation, while Micic's 12 minutes per game will be dispersed among the other guards and, of course, Hayward.
Hornets trade grade: B+
Charlotte moved on from what most would consider a bad contract. As noted, Gordon Hayward hasn't been available to live up to that four-year, $120 million contract he signed with the franchise. In the final year of it, moving on from it shows Charlotte is turning the page and embracing their young talent.
Adding Mann and Micic raises some questions, though. Charlotte already features Nick Smith Jr., James Bouknight, and Bryce McGowens at guard on the roster. Maybe more of these guards will be offloaded in the near future.
The best part of the deal is moving on from an expiring contract and netting some draft compensation. OKC has a treasure trove of draft capital and had no issue using some in this deal.
Both teams are pushing their agendas
OKC is looking to compete now after years of stockpiling draft picks and young players. Adding a veteran piece shows they want to secure the 1-seed out West and see what they can do. They haven't won a playoff series since 2016. That's the same year they blew a 3-1 lead to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Charlotte stood on business by being sellers at the trade deadline, adding solid ancillary pieces that could be more valuable in the future. That seems like a solid win-win trade for both parties, and the Hornets followed it up by sending PJ Washington to the Dallas Mavericks as well.
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