The Charlotte Hornets are in the midst of another disappointing season for their franchise. Despite the impressive return of Miles Bridges, the team has been underperforming in the regular season. LaMelo Ball has missed 21 games this year, and his return has not really improved their performance. It is looking like another season down the drain and another year to focus on their draft selections, which have been horrific for the front office as well.
Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has been having a difficult time finding the perfect rotations that will complement their franchise cornerstones. Their roster is composed of individuals who are still inexperienced at the highest stages, or athletes who are still ascending to their prime.
The usual starting lineup of Ball, Bridges, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and Mark Williams is decent at the very least, but there are some lineup adjustments Clifford must implement if he wants to maximize this season as a way for his guys to develop. Increasing the minutes of Williams, Washington, and Brandon Miller are some of these plausible changes, but it will naturally decrease the minutes of one veteran player.
Gordon Hayward should get less minutes for the Hornets
Gordon Hayward is 33 years old, and he is the second-oldest player in the Charlotte lineup. After being hounded by several injuries in his NBA career, Hayward has not returned to his All-Star form, but he is still an above average and reliable combo forward. With an expiring $31 million contract this year, it makes sense to move him before the trade deadline rather than losing him to free agency for nothing.
Hayward is nursing a strained calf that he suffered in their game on Dec. 26, so it adds an additional incentive to move him rather than keeping him on the shelf. His return does not seem imminent, and the Hornets will not receive any benefits if they keep him past the deadline. Keeping him past Feb. 8 may even be a negative repercussion for the squad, because it will lessen the minutes of guys like Bridges or Cody Martin.
Since he is unlikely to re-sign for three or four years in Charlotte, why not move him to buy low on an asset or pursue any sort of draft capital to a championship contending squad? There are a slew of franchises that would be willing to acquire Hayward as the fifth or sixth best player in a championship contending squad, so putting him on the market seems like a brilliant scenario.
The spurts Hayward showed earlier in the season prove that his approach to the sport remains to be very team-oriented and selfless. Those characteristics and traits are what will increase his value in the market. With the Hornets eventually trading him, it will not be an offending change for Hayward, and it might be a more beneficial one for the longevity of his NBA career.
Focusing on Bridges, Washington, and Miller at the wing positions seems to be the smart trajectory for the Charlotte front office, so the money being spent on Hayward can be prioritized to add a knockdown shooter or lockdown defender. After moving to Boston a couple of seasons back, the aspirations of Hayward of being a top-tier forward did not materialize, but he has adapted to the situation and found a way to continue succeeding at the NBA level.
The Hornets still have a lot of work to do if they want to be a consistent force in the playoff picture, but internally developing their youngsters is one large positive step.
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