It’s trade machine season as potential offseason moves are being discussed and proposed on the daily.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale came up with a proposed trade for every team not in the NBA Finals, and for the Charlotte Hornets, that meant swapping Gordon Hayward for another veteran forward.
Favale proposed that Charlotte send Gordon Hayward, Mason Plumlee, and Boston’s 2024 second-round pick to Cleveland for Kevin Love and Cedi Osman.
Favale writes:
“Granted, this is more about the dollars and cents for Charlotte. Love makes less than Gordon Hayward next season and comes off the books in the summer of 2023—a full year before Hayward. Getting out from under the latter’s 2023-24 salary means something to a franchise that will have Terry Rozier and, presumably, Miles Bridges (restricted) on mega-expensive contracts.”
Correct, this trade is all about shedding money faster for the Hornets, as Kevin Love has one year left on his deal compared to two years remaining on Hayward’s.
As for the fit, Love would offer a true veteran leader for Charlotte who could produce off the bench, whether that’s scoring or on the boards, as he did for Cleveland this past year. Cedi Osman adds a versatile wing off the bench who honestly adds a little bit of everything, similar to Cody Martin.
The Gordon Hayward experiment has been a disappointing one for Charlotte as he’s been incapable of staying healthy. Getting off his remaining $61 million would open up money for the Hornets going forward, as they’ll have to extend Miles Bridges this offseason and LaMelo Ball shortly after that.
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