The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired veteran forward Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans and two second-round picks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The two second-round picks are in 2024 via the Houston Rockets and 2025 via the Philadelphia 76ers. The Thunder also sent out cash considerations to the Hornets.
This is a nice deal for OKC. It doesn’t give up anything serious: Mann and Bertans seldom played this season. Meanwhile, Hayward has an expiring $31.5 million salary, so there’s no long-term commitment.
In 25 games, Hayward has averaged 14.5 points on 48.6% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He’s shot 36.1% from 3 on 2.4 attempts. Nearly all of his 3-pointers resulted in assists (95.5%), so he’ll be a nice catch-and-shoot option for OKC.
Health is an issue. He hasn’t played since Dec. 26, but Hayward is inching closer to a return. He was recently began to be designated as questionable for the Hornets.
The Thunder can afford to be cautious with the 33-year-old. They’ll likely ask him to be a backup wing off the bench who can score. His immense playoff experience is a valuable commodity for the young Thunder.
Meanwhile, Mann gets a fresh start and has the next 1 1/2 seasons to earn a second NBA deal. In three seasons, he’s averaging 8.5 points on 39.7% shooting, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
I’ve never been part of a trade deadline deal – the last few days have been quite an adventure. Charlotte has been an amazing home for our family & we are so grateful to the fans & Hornets for the past 4 years. While change is never easy, I’m excited to get to OKC and work! ⚡️⚡️ pic.twitter.com/XybpnQ8edI
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) February 9, 2024
Editor’s note: This article was updated following the announcement of Micic and draft compensation to the deal. It was originally reported as just Mann and Bertans.
